James Harden shows his vintage form in the last win over the Raptors
The Los Angeles Clippers played noticeably better basketball in the last month; as he remembers, they started the season with a terrible 6-21 record, and many believed that this was the beginning of the end for Kawhi Leonard and James Harden– ice core. But the Clippers’ turnaround continues, as they beat a good team in the Toronto Raptors 121-117 on the road Friday night, despite not having the services of Leonardo who sat out with an ankle problem.
With Leonard out, the responsibility of carrying the team fell on Harden’s shoulders. And with the Clippers’ entire roster seemingly immersed in the Fountain of Youth, Brada was able to pull them over the line in a hard-fought battle.
Harden found his second wind during the crunch, he scored 16 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to give LA its 12th win in its last 14 contests, as noted by ClutchPoints Clippers beat reporter Tomer Azarly.
When the game hung in the balance, the Clippers turned to Harden time and time again and he delivered. This is nothing short of a great win, as they were able to give Leonard a day off ahead of the two-day break without costing them.
The unsung heroes of the Clippers are performing in the absence of Kawhi Leonard
Harden wouldn’t be able to do it alone considering he struggled for the first three quarters of the Clippers’ eventual victory. Five other players scored in double figures for LA, while Jordan Miller and Cam Christie scored 35 points (19 and 16 respectively) off the bench.
Miller, in particular, was a godsend on Friday as he pitched a 46-minute shift to cover Leonard’s absence. This is the kind of performance the Clippers need from their supporting cast moving forward as they try to climb above .500.
2026-01-17 04:07:00
