Not a lot people are able to contain Houston Rockets superstar James Harden one-on-one, so there's no disgrace on the part of the New Orleans Pelicans' Ian Clark Saturday night.
With close to two-and-a-half minutes remaining in the third quarter of their matchup, Clark found himself on an island with Harden smelling blood the moment he saw his hapless defender on single coverage. The MVP candidate measured up Clark with a couple of jab steps. When Harden finally saw the opportunity — and he only needs the slightest — there was no chance left for the Pelicans swingman.
The result was a bucket off a nifty crossover from the Rockets' shooting guard.
Watch the clip below:
This was a bad movie for Clark that he's seen one too many times already, but it wasn't him who stood in front of the protagonist most of the time. Still, his fate was sealed the moment all the stars in the universe aligned to pave the way for Harden's runway.
The Rockets took the victory over the Pelicans, 107-101. Harden was, again, splendid on this one as he registered 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and a couple of steals to lead the NBA's best regular season team. On the other hand, Clark wasn't too shabby either, scoring 17 points to go along with two rebounds, and three assists.
The Rockets only solidified their number one spot overall, but the Pelicans fell to number eight in the Western Conference playoff race. Their seeding is quite deceiving, though, as only a half game separates them from the fifth seed in the Utah Jazz, who are playing the sweetest tune at the most opportune time.
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