With a season-high 28 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds, James Harden recorded his 25,000th career point. Kawhi Leonard contributed 27 points and eight rebounds to the Los Angeles Clippers’ 121-113 win against the struggling Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
Norman Powell scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who overcame Paul George’s first injury absence of the season for their 11th victory in 14 games. Los Angeles adroitly fought off the Warriors’ late onslaught and moved to 5-0 at home in December.
“That’s what James does,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue remarked. “Harden played at a higher level tonight since PG wasn’t playing. He had to produce more and make more plays for himself and his teammates since he was getting the ball more often. We brought him here just for that purpose, and he had a fantastic game.”
Late in the third quarter, Harden made NBA history by becoming the 24th player to collect 25,000 points on a driving layup. The veteran has adapted well to the Clippers, shooting a solid percentage and changing his style of play to blend in with Leonard and George, who missed time due to a left hip ailment.
“Doesn’t matter if I got two points or (28) tonight, winning is the key,” stated Harden. “As far as the metrics go, I’ve achieved a lot of different individual figures and done a lot of various things. My priorities are winning, developing relationships, and improving as a team, and I believe that today was another step in that direction.”
For Golden State, who lost 12 of 16 games overall and had a 0-3 road trip, Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 points while making eight 3-pointers. This week has seen the team’s turbulent season becoming even more unpredictable.
The Warriors started a possibly long period of time without Draymond Green, who is banned indefinitely after slapping Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Tuesday. Stephen Curry scored 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting.
“It was tough, because Draymond is a huge part of what we do, and we’re going to miss him dearly,” Thompson said. We are certain that he will return even stronger and a different person. As a brother and friend, I will miss him. I adore him dearly and eagerly await his return. Our squad obviously has a significant void right now, but we’re going to play our hardest and do the best we can in his absence.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr made a point of saying before the game that the club supports Green’s suspension and the undisclosed treatment he would get to deal with his increasing number of recent misconduct and too aggressive play. The defensive wizard and four-time NBA champion has already served four suspensions in 2023 alone.
“He can’t do what he’s been doing, and he knows that,” Curry said. “We are aware of it. Everyone is aware of it. The hunt for the solution, in my opinion, is what has to change. That’s the path we now follow. Everybody has mountains to climb, and Draymond has his own. Regardless of how long it takes him to get there, I have faith that he will succeed.
Key absences forced both clubs to alter their usual starting lineups. Amir Coffey took up George’s starting position, while Golden State promoted Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to replace Green and Andrew Wiggins.
In his first career start, youngster Podziemski finished with four points on 2-of-11 shooting, while Kuminga scored fifteen points in his second start of the year.
Although Thompson has had a quiet start, in his home state of Southern California, the seasoned marksman delivered a memorable show. He made four 3-pointers in the third quarter to give the Warriors a lead, but in the fourth, Curry and Thompson shot only 1 for 7 together.
With seven consecutive road losses, including two this month against the Clippers, Chris Paul scored twelve points against his old club, the Warriors. In the second quarter, Paul was called for a Flagrant Foul 1 after he blocked out under the Clippers hoop and shoved Daniel Theis with both hands.
The Clippers’ advantage was cut to six points by Paul’s 32-footer at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors pulled within one early in the fourth quarter, but they then went three minutes without scoring.
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