James Harden made the difference in the Clippers’ 116-111 win over the Mavericks with a fourth-quarter barrage that saved the Clippers from one of the worst losses in playoff history. He reflected on the performance and how he’s evolved over his career into knowing what he needs to do to help his team win.
“I’m blessed to be able to change it up and be a facilitator and a scorer. I’ve been doing that throughout the course of my career at an elite level. My mindset coming into this team was doing whatever it takes to win.”
James Harden: “I’m blessed to be able to change it up and be a facilitator and a scorer. I’ve been doing that throughout the course of my career at an elite level. My mindset coming into this team was doing whatever it takes to win.” pic.twitter.com/OomiYZvagu
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 28, 2024
Harden put up 33 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in the Game 4 win to help the Clippers tie the series up and restore home-court advantage heading back to Los Angeles for Game 5. Harden nullified the vastly improved Luka Doncic defense this game by consistently getting by him by using shifty movements on the guard dealing with a knee injury.
Jason Kidd’s odd decision to bench Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in the fourth quarter allowed Harden to attack the inside and keep converting floaters to retake the lead after the Clippers had blown a 31-point lead during the game. The scoreline doesn’t matter, as the Clippers got the W and have a fighting chance in this season even with Kawhi Leonard‘s injury uncertainty.
The Clippers Need To Keep The Pressure On
A first-round exit for either of these franchises would be quite the shocker, so they’re both motivated to make it past this round. But the situation for the Mavericks if they lose this series is a lot harsher.
This would be their third loss in the playoffs to the Clippers in five years. The first two losses are still explained away by the youth and inferior ability of the Dallas roster compared to the Clippers, but that reason doesn’t apply anymore. While the odds were pretty even, many predictions favored Dallas, including ours. A loss in this series, without Kawhi Leonard playing, would be a catastrophic failure.
Given the stakes for Dallas have been elevated greatly, the Clippers need to ensure they can overwhelm the Mavericks back at home and take a 3-2 lead to put their backs against the wall.
Luka Doncic is averaging 29.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists on 38.6% shooting from the field, playing through injury and having one of the worst shooting series of his playoff career. He hasn’t had a masterclass big game like we’ve come to expect just yet, so limiting him as they have done already with players like Terance Mann would be crucial.
This is a tough series, but the pressure is not on the Clippers anymore. Ty Lue needs to keep his players composed and capitalize on the rising tensions in Dallas.
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