James Harden connected on seven three-pointers en route to 23 first-quarter points in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 121-96 win against the Washington Wizards. Harden scored a season-high 43 points as the Clippers bounced back from their 32-point loss (126-94) to the champion Boston Celtics. For the 10-time All-Star, it was his 100th career 40+ point performance, joining an elite company of Hall of Famers Golden State Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain, Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan, and Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.
Harden’s 43-point performance was acknowledged via StatMuse’s X, formerly Twitter.
Players with one hundred 40-point games:
— Wilt — MJ — Kobe … And James Harden,” the post read.
Harden shot 13-of-22, including 7-for-11 from deep, and went 10-for-11 from the free-throw line. James also finished with seven assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Ivica Zubac notched a double-double (18 points, 16 rebounds), and Jordan Miller’s 15 points led the bench for Los Angeles.
Clippers’ James Harden makes NBA history, surpasses Kobe Bryant
James Harden scored 23 of the Clippers’ 37 first-quarter points. Harden surpassed Kobe for the most 30+ point halves, scoring 31 points after the second quarter of the Clippers’ lopsided win at the nation’s capital. After the victory, Harden talked about his offensive approach against the Wizards.
When a reporter asked what led to such an offensive explosion, Harden kept his answer simple.
“I was just being aggressive,” Harden said. “Being aggressive and good things happen.”
Harden related it to the Clippers’ team goals and did whatever it took to add another win before he caught fire throughout the first three quarters.
“We have to continue to find ways to win,” Harden added. “I think defensively, we can still get a lot better. Sometimes, we get a little too comfortable, but we’re good enough, especially defensively, to where we can still be in games. It’s offensively making sure we can know what we’re trying to get to offensively, then consistently running and being efficient at it. But for the most part, we’ve done a good job.
“I feel like every team feels this way, but there’s a couple of games we wish we could take back and win, but that’s what the long season is for, so just continue to get better as a unit,” Harden concluded.
So far, Harden’s having a stellar 2024-25, averaging 21.6 points, 8.7 assists, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game this season. The Clippers improved to 12-8, sixth in the Western Conference. They’ll face the Timberwolves on Monday before hosting the Nuggets on Sunday.
The post James Harden joins Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history appeared first on ClutchPoints.
0 Mga Komento