James Harden bends the long-toothed Wizards

Another match that should confirm Trae Young’s choice to join Washington, a young team with great potential that once again showed all its qualities by giving trouble to the experienced Clippers. Indeed, Alex Saar (28 points) and his trio of Johnson-George-Carrington for a long time tormented the Californians who needed James Harden in the game until the last second (36 points) to win on the wire!

The Wizards did better in the first half, between the enthusiasm of Alex Sarr in the first quarter to compete with the aggressiveness of James Harden, in scoring and passing (26-26), then the precious relay of the pair of George-Carrington in the second act to stay in touch at the break (53-54). Tre Johnson’s hot shot to follow Alex Sarr and his gang then allowed the locals to briefly go +10 after returning from the locker room (70-60).

It was enough to ring the alarm in California. At the end of the period, the Clippers responded with a 10-0 lead on a three-pointer by James Harden before taking the lead early in the fourth quarter thanks to two-pointers by Jordan Miller and a three-pointer by Chris Dunn to cool things down a bit at Capital One Arena (85-90).

Good passages from Justin Champagne and Alex Sarr quickly warmed the atmosphere and re-invigorated the suspense at the start of the “money” (98-99). But not to the point of destabilizing the Clippers’ armada, because even after Bub Carrington’s 3-pointer tied it at 103-103, LA could count on good old James Harden to secure the victory, with a layup scored under pressure, then thanks to his four free throws. Despite a small scare in the last seconds and two attempts by Keeshon George to put Washington back in front, the Clippers secured important things by leaving with a victory (106-110).

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– James Harden almost gave up at the worst time. At 16/16 free throws to that point, suffice it to say James Harden had enough to show himself with confidence at the penalty line to tie the game at 106-108 with 6 seconds left. And yet! The guard missed the first, then the second, leaving the Wizards with an unexpected opportunity. Unfortunately for them, James Harden grabbed his own rebound, forcing Washington to foul again. This time, “The Beard” didn’t waver, converting the last two points of the match to secure the win.

– Alex Sarr opposes the pair Zubac-Lopez. The French interior started the match brilliantly and built this confidence throughout the match. Shot under the boards, he also showed efficiency on mid-range and 3-pointers and finished with 28 points and 6 rebounds. Like the entire team, he suffered more at the end when the Clippers turned their defense up a notch.

– Beard of wisdom. The enthusiasm of the young Wizards almost caused Tyronn Lue’s group to falter, who knew how to do what was necessary in the end to win. This is an opportunity to remember that in this match, the oldest team in the league (LA, with an average age of 29.3 years) faced the youngest, and Washington had an average age of only 23.5 years! In the end, it was the experience of “The Beard” at the end of the match that made the difference. James Harden never panicked and was content to read the play correctly to keep his team in the lead until the final buzzer. For their part, the young Wizards have shown their progress and continue to learn. Even if he doesn’t end up winning, Tree Young certainly appreciated from the bench.

How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = point difference when the player is on the court; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.