Harden and Kawhi unleash the storm

“They came out and hit us in the mouth, but we ended up playing Clippers basketball, and the rest is history,” said James Harden after riding a thunderous 22-0 run. In just over five and a half minutes, an earthquake caused a 103-114 score to turn into a final score of 125-114. The Clippers lost 18 points (86-104) with eleven minutes remaining. It felt like one of those cold morning games at the old Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), where the Clippers often play with mistakes, and downtown LA seems to be waiting in silence for the afternoon.

The Clippers have transformed into a different team from their past selves. Recently, they discovered a winning formula with an ultra-small ball lineup consisting of Russell Westbrook, Norm Powell, James Harden, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. This lineup brought out a new level of defensive aggressiveness that had not been seen before. Even Kawhi Leonard, struggling earlier in the game, found his rhythm and scored 14 points in the last five minutes. The Clippers easily won the game thanks to Harden’s superb playmaking skills. The team has been on a roll lately with a record of 27-14, winning 10 out of their last 12 games. They have won 19 out of their previous 23 games since their poor start to the Harden era, where they lost six consecutive games and started the season with a 3-7 record.

Harden scored 24 points and made 10 assists in the game. However, the most significant data was his +/- rating, which was -17 in the first half and +26 in the second half. Kawhi scored 21 points, including the final shot. Although Paul George only scored 12 points on 14 shots, the secondary players provided the energy that led to the team’s comeback. Westbrook played exceptionally and scored 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The game’s transformation can be best explained by the rebounding performance in the last quarter, where the team out-rebounded their opponents 13-2. Despite the absence of big men, Westbrook and Powell managed to grab eight rebounds during this stretch.

The Brooklyn Nets, who had just won against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, were playing well for over three quarters. This was a surprise given the Nets’ current state, which had been affected by injuries to their key players. However, the Los Angeles Clippers refused to surrender, unlike the Lakers. Jacque Vaughn, the Nets’ coach, did not call timeouts in the game’s final minutes, even though his team struggled to find answers on offense and their defensive attitude was non-existent. The Nets are a team with many middle-class players but without superstars who can rise to the occasion in difficult situations. Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, O’Neale, and the rest of the team missed too many shots, and although Mikal Bridges played well (scoring 26 points, six rebounds, and 5 assists), he could not do much when the Clippers started their counter-attack. The Nets eventually lost the game, and their overall record now stands at 17-25.

These were the rest of the results of the day:

WIZARDS 104-NUGGETS 113

After playing in Boston two days earlier, the champion had an easy match against a much weaker opponent. In the game’s final moments, the remaining local fans cheered for Nikola Jokic by chanting “M-V-P.” Jokic had an impressive performance, scoring 42 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and making 8 assists with an excellent shooting percentage. In his last 15 games, he has been averaging 25.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, with an incredible shooting series of 71% on total shots, 50% on three-pointers, and 90% on free throws. The Nuggets comfortably managed to stay ahead in the game, with Jamal Murray contributing 19 points and 7 assists and Michael Porter Jr. scoring another 19. With this win, the Nuggets are now 30-14 and in third place in the West, closely behind the Thunder and with the Clippers on their heels. The Wizards, currently at 7-35, had Kyle Kuzma score 17 points, Tyus Jones with 15 points and 13 assists, and Jordan Poole scoring only 4 points with a disappointing shooting percentage of 1/7.

ROCKETS 107-CELTICS 116

The Boston Celtics suffered their first home loss of the season against the Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokic. However, they managed to bounce back in a game against the Houston Rockets. The Rockets were at a disadvantage as they had won a game in overtime against the Utah Jazz less than 24 hours before and were missing several players, including Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr, Tari Eason, and Jeff Green. The Celtics were also without Jrue Holiday or Al Horford, but they still managed to win the game. Eight days later, the Celtics faced their former coach, Ime Udoka, and won again. However, the game wasn’t an outstanding performance from Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown. The standout player was Kristaps Porzingis, who finished with 32 points and 6 rebounds. Derrick White also contributed 21 points. Alperen Sengun scored 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists on the Rockets’ side. Rookie Amen Thompson had a good display as a starter, with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists. However, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green had poor shooting efficiency.

MAGIC 105-HEAT 87

The Miami Heat had a perfect record of 9-0 in their Division (Southeastern), but they have lost two games in a row now, making it three losses in total. They faced tough competition from the Hawks and Magic teams. In the first match, Dejounte Murray’s heroic triple led to the Heat’s defeat, and in the second match, the Magic’s exceptional defensive work limited the Heat to just 87 points (their lowest of the season) with 37% shooting and 18 turnovers. Despite the efforts of Bam Adebayo, who scored 22 points with 11 rebounds and 7 assists, neither Jimmy Butler nor Tyler Herro had a good day, as they scored only 15 and 12 points, respectively.

However, the Magic’s performance was the game’s highlight, as they could use their starting five with which they began the season after two and a half months. The starting five included Markelle Fultz, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Wendell Carter Jr. In the second half, the Magic showed an impressive defensive display, and Banchero (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Wagner (19 points) made important contributions to their team’s victory. The Magic are currently eighth in the East with a record of 23-20, while the Heat are sixth (24-19) after this disappointing loss in the Florida duel.