Harden finished with 12 points (4-13 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 13 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and three steals in 32 minutes during Saturday's 105-92 loss to Oklahoma City.
Harden has one triple-double and five double-doubles in six appearances this season. However, while the veteran guard dished out a season-low seven assists, he continues to rack up enough stats regularly to remain an absolute stud in most fantasy formats. Through six appearances, Harden is averaging 21.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
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Clippers' James Harden: Carries load with triple-double
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Harden chipped in 25 points (8-19 FG, 3-10 3Pt, 6-7 FT), 10 rebounds, 13 assists, two blocks and two steals across 36 minutes during Thursday's 125-119 loss to Phoenix.
The Clippers are still searching for their first win in the Intuit Dome, but Harden is doing all he can to make it happen. His red-hot start is reminiscent of his days with the Rockets, as he's shooting with abandon and distributing the ball efficiently. Turnovers have been a bit of an issue for him, as he's averaged 6.2 cough-ups over five games. Some of his six turnovers in Thursday's loss occurred at pivotal moments when the Clippers could have captured some momentum. The entire team has been careless with the ball, and empty possessions kept them from sealing the deal in the second half.
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Clippers' James Harden: Posts 19/10 double-double in loss
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Harden totaled 19 points (6-18 FG, 5-11 3Pt, 2-4 FT), five rebounds, 10 assists and three steals across 32 minutes during Wednesday's 106-105 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Harden's five three-pointers represented most of his scoring output, and he led the team in assists. Wednesday marked Harden's third consecutive double-digit assist result, and the category should serve as a nice addition to his fantasy totals throughout the season. Harden isn't getting any younger, but Kawhi Leonard's (shoulder) absence and the loss of Paul George is yielding great results as he carries a heavier load.
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Clippers' James Harden: Comes close to triple-double
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Harden registered 23 points (6-19 FG, 2-12 3Pt, 9-9 FT), seven rebounds and 11 assists over 36 minutes during Sunday's 112-104 victory over the Warriors.
Harden finished just three rebounds shy of recording his first triple-double of the season, and the veteran floor general continues to thrive in what has been a better-than-expected start to the campaign for him. Harden is benefiting from the absence of Kawhi Leonard (knee) to experience an uptick in usage rate, and this has led him to record 20-plus points and 10-plus assists in his last two appearances. It's only three games, but his averages of 25.0 points, 11.7 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game are encouraging.
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Clippers' James Harden: Hands out 16 assists Saturday
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Harden posted 23 points (5-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 12-13 FT), six rebounds, 16 assists, a steal and a block across 38 minutes in Saturday's 109-104 win over the Nuggets.
Harden dished out most of his assists to Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell, who finished with 24 and 37 points, respectively. Harden struggled with his shot from beyond the arc, but he still found a way to score consistently and recorded nearly half of his points from the charity stripe. Harden is thriving both as a scorer and playmaker for the Clippers, and his fantasy upside will remain extremely high due to an expected uptick in his already-high usage rate with Kawhi Leonard (knee) out.
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Clippers' James Harden: Set to play against Phoenix
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Harden (rest) is available for Wednesday's game versus the Suns, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Harden will return to action as a starter in the Clippers' regular-season opener after sitting out the team's preseason finale for rest purposes. Harden will likely shoulder a heavy offensive workload due to Kawhi Leonard (knee) being out and Paul George leaving in free agency.
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Clippers' James Harden: Not playing in preseason finale
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Harden (rest) won't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Kings, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.
The Clippers will move some things around in the lineup for the preseason finale, and Harden won't be part of the first unit. Bones Hyland, Norman Powell and Terance Mann will start in the backcourt, with Nicolas Batum and Ivica Zubac rounding out the rest of the group. However, Harden should be available for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Suns.
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Clippers' James Harden: Will suit up Monday
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Coach Tyronn Lue said that Harden will play during Monday's preseason matchup against the Mavericks, but he will sit out of the club's final preseason game against the Kings on Thursday, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.
Harden will suit up for the last time during the preseason Monday. The superstar is the Clippers' clear No. 2 option behind Kawhi Leonard (knee) with Paul George now in Philadelphia. However, Leonard has been known to miss regular-season games, and Harden will pick up the slack as the top option if, and when, Leonard is out.
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Clippers' James Harden: Hits for 14 in preseason win
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Harden scored 14 points (5-10 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 1-3 Ft) while adding five assists, three rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes during Friday's 101-99 preseason win over the Trail Blazers.
The 35-year-old guard continues to have his court time capped in the preseason, but Harden's per-minute contributions have been impressive. With Paul George now in Philly, Harden will have an even bigger role in the Clippers' offense, especially on the nights when Kawhi Leonard (knee) is unavailable. Harden failed to average at least 20 points a game last season for the first time since 2011-12, but shot volume alone should get him back to that level in 2024-25.
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Clippers' James Harden: Hot start in first preseason game
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Harden tallied 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt), four rebounds and two assists across 17 minutes in Tuesday's 115-106 preseason win over the Nets.
Harden was the team's top scorer despite logging only 17 minutes. As the Clippers adjust to life without Paul George, Harden will need to re-ignite some of the magic he showed earlier in his career to improve the team's chances for postseason play. Unlike other seasons, Harden was mostly injury-free during his first year with the team, but he also recorded his worst season averages in points and rebounds since 2010. If his usage increases as expected, Harden should be able to match and possibly exceed last year's results.
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Clippers' James Harden: Dishes eight dimes vs. Warriors
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Harden tallied 13 points (2-6 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 8-8 FT), eight assists, two rebounds and two steals across 17 minutes in Saturday's 91-90 preseason loss to the Warriors.
None of the Clippers' starters saw more than 20 minutes of playing time Saturday, but Harden managed to account for eight of Los Angeles' 21 assists and got to the line for a game-high eight free-throw attempts. Harden is expected to take on a larger role on offense following the departure of Paul George to Philadelphia, and the former could be the focal point if Kawhi Leonard (knee) were to miss the start of the regular season. Harden averaged 16.6 points per game in 2023-24, his lowest scoring output since 2010 as a member of the Thunder.
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Clippers' James Harden: Commits to Clips for two years
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Harden agreed Sunday with the Clippers on a two-year, $70 million contract, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Harden and the Clippers came to agreement on a new deal just minutes before NBA free agency officially began, though the contract won't become official until at least Saturday. In any case, the 34-year-old point guard is locked in for two more seasons with LA, coming off an inaugural season with the Clippers in which he averaged his fewest points per game (16.6) since 2010-11, but still posted strong marks in just about every other category (8.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 three-pointers, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks). With Paul George hitting the open market and not expected to return to the Clippers, Harden will likely shoulder more of the offensive load in 2024-25 alongside Kawhi Leonard (knee).
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Clippers' James Harden: Poor shooting in season-ending loss
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Harden finished with 16 points (5-16 FG, 0-6 3Pt, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds, 13 assists, one block and two steals over 43 minutes during Friday's 114-101 loss to Dallas in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Harden was one of the players the Clippers needed to have step up with Kawhi Leonard (knee) sidelined, but the veteran guard didn't come through. He was particularly woeful in the final two games of the series, during which he went 7-for-28 from the field, including 1-for-13 from three-point range. He averaged 21.2 points and 8.0 assists per game in the series, but the numbers don't tell the whole story, as the Clippers needed -- and expected -- more out of him, but he couldn't deliver when called upon.
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Clippers' James Harden: Limited impact in Game 5 loss
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Harden amassed seven points (2-12 FG, 1-7 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and seven assists over 33 minutes during Wednesday's 123-93 loss to the Mavericks in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Harden was a non-factor in the loss, a far cry from what he has been able to deliver thus far in the series. Both he and Paul George had off nights, much to the joy of Mavericks fans. The Clippers are now one loss away from elimination, a result that would leave the future of the current squad in some doubt. If they are to force a Game 7, Harden is going to need to rediscover his early-series form.
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Clippers' James Harden: All-around outing in Game 4 win
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Harden produced 33 points (12-17 FG, 4-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), six rebounds, seven assists, one block and one steal in 40 minutes during Sunday's 116-111 victory over Dallas in Game 4 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Harden stepped up alongside teammate Paul George to lift Los Angeles to a much-needed win in Game 4 to even the series at 2-2 entering Game 5. Harden posted a team-high-tying point total while connecting on a quartet of threes in a balanced showing. Harden reached the 30-point mark for the first time of the series, also logging his highest rebound total of the postseason thus far.
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Clippers' James Harden: Nears 30 points as top scorer
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Harden recorded 28 points (8-17 FG, 6-11 3Pt, 6-6 FT), two rebounds, eight assists and two blocks over 39 minutes during Sunday's 109-97 victory over the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Harden returned for the start of the postseason after missing the Clippers' regular-season finale with a right foot inflammation and went on to lead all players in threes made and assists in a near-30-point double-double in a winning effort. Harden posted at least 28 points in six games during the regular season, adding eight or more assists in each of those outings. Sunday marked his fifth game of the year, both regular season and postseason, with six or more threes made.
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Clippers' James Harden: Recovered from injury
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Coach Tyronn Lue said Tuesday that Harden (foot) is "good to go", Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Harden missed the Clippers' regular-season finale with a right foot inflammation but should be available for Sunday's Game 1 against the Mavericks. The star guard will likely reclaim his starting spot from Xavier Moon.
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Clippers' James Harden: Out for regular-season finale
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Harden (foot) will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Rockets, Justin Russo of the 'Clip & Roll' podcast reports.
The Clippers are opting to sit most their starters ahead of playoff competition, which will result in Xavier Moon and Terance Mann starting in Los Angeles' backcourt. Harden will have time to get his health back up to par ahead of the team's Round 1 matchup.
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Clippers' James Harden: Questionable for Sunday
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Harden is questionable for Sunday's game against the Rockets due to right foot inflammation.
The Clippers already know they'll face the Mavericks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, so they could very well sit Harden to avoid any further injuries ahead of the postseason. If Harden doesn't play, then Russell Westbrook could have a larger role in the backcourt.
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Clippers' James Harden: Limited time in return from injury
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Harden logged four points (1-4 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 2-3 FT) and five assists over 10 minutes during Friday's 110-109 loss to the Jazz.
Harden returned Friday from a two-game absence due to a foot injury, playing a limited role along with other Clippers starters as the postseason approaches. Harden led all starters with a handful of assists while adding a quartet of points over just 10 minutes of action. Los Angeles wraps up the regular season Sunday, and it's likely we see Harden play a limited role again, if he plays at all.