James Harden was a person possessed for the LA Clippers on Wednesday night time because the Wizards fell to one more defeat.
James Harden First Quarter Flurry Breaks Franchise File For Clippers
The Clippers inflicted one other stinging defeat on the Wizards on Wednesday night time, stretching their dropping streak to 13.
A James Harden-inspired blowout noticed LA enhance 12-8 for the season, whereas Washington’s disastrous begin leaves them with simply two wins from a attainable 17.
With Norman Powell lacking as soon as once more with a hamstring pressure for a fifth straight recreation, James Harden erupted for a season-high 43 factors to greater than take up the mantle of chief scorer.
It was a nostalgic efficiency from a person approaching veteran standing, rolling again the years for a show reminiscent to those we got here to count on throughout his most fruitful seasons on the Rockets. Wednesday night time was his first 40-point recreation within the common season since 2021.
James Harden turns into the FIRST participant in NBA historical past to drop 40+ factors for five completely different groups.
Regardless of the jersey, the buckets will observe. pic.twitter.com/6EHrUE5ket
— Sai (@LeGoatedOne) November 28, 2024
It was a decidedly Harden-centric night time on the Capital One Area, as he was the one Clippers participant to put up greater than 20 factors to cause them to a crushing 121-96 victory.
Harden exploded out of the blocks virtually instantly, diving into the factors scoring early and infrequently coming as much as breathe. Not solely was 43 his highest tally since becoming a member of the Clippers, however his 23 factors within the first quarter set a brand new franchise file after surpassing Paul George‘s earlier mark in 2021.
Though solely 4 different gamers managed double digits within the Clippers’ blowout win, Jordan Miller as soon as once more proved he could also be too good to sit down on the bench after posting 15 factors in 20 minutes.
The 24-year-old, who’s on a two-way NBA-G League contract, has snatched on the alternative for extra minutes within the absence of Norm Powell and Kawhi Leonard.
He has been pivotal to holding the Clippers ticking together with their cornerstones lacking, and his promising kind might hand coach Tyronn Lue a welcomed choice headache in weeks to return.
In keeping with NBA sportsbooks, the Clippers are actually even-money on the moneyline to make a run to the playoffs after shifting to sixth within the Western Convention.
