There was a ton of offense in tonight’s matchup as it was a
high scoring affair, but
James Harden stole the show with his near triple
double performance. He helped lead the
Los Angeles Clippers to a 149-144 victory
over the
Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
The Clippers have been dominant this season and look to be a
contender to win the 2024 NBA Finals. With 2 All-Stars in
Kawhi Leonard and
Paul George, 2 former MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook, and extraordinary
role players who fit nicely such as Terrance Mann, Ivica Zubac, and Norman
Powell, it seems like LA has all the right pieces to make a deep playoff push. It’s
exciting to be a fan of this team, especially when they open their new stadium
at the start of next season to fully separate themselves from the Lakers shadow
in Los Angeles.
James Harden played spectacular tonight and he looked like the
prime Houston version of himself in this game. The Beard finished with 30
points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block with 6 threes made,
including the dagger triple with a minute left in the game. Kawhi Leonard also
played amazing, finishing with 36 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1
block. Paul George ended the night with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2
steals.
For the Hawks,
Trae Young had 25 points, 2 rebounds, 12
assists, and 2 steals. Dejounte Murray had 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists
while De’Andre Hunter scored 27 points off the bench to go along with 7
rebounds and 3 assists.
This win improves the Clippers to 34-15, which makes them 3rd
in the Western Conference. LA is now 0.5 games away from being the 1st
seed, as they are 9-1 over their last 10 games and currently on a 4-game
winning streak. Their next game will be on Wednesday night against the New
Orleans Pelicans.
Meanwhile, this loss drops the Hawks to 22-28 on the season,
which makes them 10th in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is now 1 game behind
the 9th seeded Chicago Bulls and 1.5 games above the 11th seeded Toronto
Raptors. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and will play against the top
seeded Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.