James Harden carries Nets past what’s left of the Clippers – Redlands Daily Facts

LOS ANGELES — Even severely short-handed with seven gamers in well being and security protocols, the Brooklyn Nets made it look simple.

The Clippers, equally undermanned, made it look something however in a 124-108 loss earlier than ​​17,128 followers at Crypto.com Enviornment.

As a result of, properly, defending James Harden is exhausting.

Impressed by a return house to L.A. and refreshed in his second sport again after lacking the 4 video games, together with three within the league’s COVID-19 well being and security protocols, the nine-time All-Star and three-time NBA scoring champ managed the narrative Monday, acting at his confounding greatest.

“The whole lot we did, he picked us aside,” Clippers Coach Tyronn Lue stated. “So we blitzed him, we switched and guarded him, we switched to fireside, we zoned him, and he picked us aside. The whole lot we did, they needed to reply for it.”

A former Artesia Excessive Faculty standout who was honored at a jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday, Harden completed with 39 factors, a season-high 15 assists and eight rebounds on Monday.

“Highschool is the place I truly fell in love with studying how one can work exhausting, studying how one can truly prepare, studying how one can keep within the gymnasium and lock myself within the gymnasium and discover issues that I can get higher at in basketball,” Harden informed reporters postgame.

“From simply hooping with the homies outdoors in highschool, discovering pick-up video games across the metropolis, all that stuff man. That was the place I fell in love with the sport of basketball and it’s launched me to quite a lot of totally different folks, and it took me to the next place to the place I’m in a position to present for my household, and lots of people all over the world. In order that was a particular second for me yesterday and I undoubtedly embraced that.”

When he clocked in on the workplace the subsequent day, he set to work alternately slicing by means of the Clippers’ protection for layups or carving them up with passes to arrange scores for his teammates – a lot of them coming at shut vary: Brooklyn’s 74 factors within the paint in opposition to the Clippers equaled essentially the most by an opponent this season in opposition to Tyronn Lue’s squad.

His stat line included a notable milestone: His tenth help was No. 6,000 for his profession, making the Nets’ solely obtainable celebrity Monday the tenth participant in NBA historical past with 20,000 factors, 5,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists.

With the 2017-18 league MVP behind the wheel, the Nets peeled off the beginning line, taking a 71-55 lead into halftime, their highest-scoring half and their largest halftime lead on the highway this season.

Naturally, Harden’s fingerprints had been on 39 of the Nets’ first-half factors; he personally tallied 22 first-half factors (his third-most in a half this season) and eight assists.

The Nets (23-9) got here swaggering into Crypto.com Enviornment having crushed the Lakers there on Christmas, 122-115, boasting the Japanese Convention’s greatest report and a formidable 12-3 highway report – and having received 5 of their previous six video games regardless of having a considerable a part of their solid caught in COVID-19 well being and security protocols (together with 5 gamers Monday).

The Clippers – who had been down eight gamers, together with their stars Kawhi Leonard (ACL) and Paul George (elbow) – didn’t have the wind at their backs in fairly the identical means.

Enjoying their second sport in as many nights, Lue’s staff misplaced for the fourth time in 5 video games.

The Clippers (17-17) had been hoping to construct on the positives of Sunday’s 103-100 loss to Denver, when their younger gamers impressed with hustle and protection.

These younger gamers delivered equally Monday, spurred by Keon Johnsons’ 12 fourth-quarter factors, the Clippers outscored Brooklyn 27-23 within the last body to chop what was a 22-point result in 110-100 – on a Johnson 3-pointer with 4:17 to play.

Harden stated hiya to the rookie Johnson the subsequent time down the court docket by hitting a 3 over him and drawing a foul, falling into the Clippers’ bench because the ball fell by means of the ring.

Lue challenged the decision, however to no avail, and Harden stepped to the road and knocked down his fifth free throw to bump Brooklyn’s result in 114-100.

Johnson was summarily impressed by his first up-close-and-personal take a look at Harden.

“Simply the best way he’s in a position to attract contact and get the ball up out of his fingers fast,” stated Johnson, the rookie guard who tallied a career-best 15 factors. “He’s obtained nice handles, his IQ is absurd, by means of the roof, simply seeing it dwell and in motion at the moment, it was a terrific feeling.”

One other silver lining within the loss: The welcome return of Marcus Morris Sr., the veteran ahead who returned after lacking eight days and 4 video games in well being and security protocols.

He picked up the place he left off, with one other 20-plus level sport – his sixth in eight outings, courting again to Dec. 3. He completed with 24 factors, six assists and 5 rebounds, logging all 27 of his minutes within the first three quarters earlier than giving method to the Clippers’ children.