Houston Rockets superstar James Harden was not exactly thrilled with how Friday night's contest against the Los Angeles Clippers ended.
Down three points with just 1.2 seconds remaining, the Rockets had the possession and had a chance to send the game into overtime with a trey. Harden received the inbound pass, but was clamped down by three Clippers defenders, who ended up swiping the ball away from the former MVP before he could even attempt a shot.
Harden aired his frustration during a post-game interview, saying that this type of defensive scheme is not something you see everyday.
Rockets’ James Harden on the attention he’s seeing: “The whole season they’re running doubles teams at me. I’ve never seen that in an NBA game where you’ve got really good defenders & someone else running at the top of the key. Y’all let me know the last time you’ve seen that.” pic.twitter.com/eVxRUgds76
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 23, 2019
Regardless of how the Clippers did it, the fact of the matter is that they successfully prevented the high-scoring guard from attempting a game-tying 3-pointer that would have sent the game to an extra period. Harden may not have liked it, but it still allowed L.A. to score the victory against a fellow Western Conference contender.
The Clippers' sound defense was pestering Harden all night long, but the 6-foot-5 shooting guard was still able to put up some big numbers. He logged 37 points (on 9-of-16 shooting), five 3-pointers, eight rebounds, 12 assists, a couple of steals, and four turnovers in a game-high 42 minutes played.
That's now back-to-back losses for Harden and company, following a 105-95 defeat against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. This mini slump follows a highly-impressive eight-game winning streak. The Rockets are back in action on Sunday as they host the Dallas Mavericks, and surely, the team will be more than eager to return to winning ways.
Follow Us
Subscribe