National Basketball Association (NBA) “hairy shooter” James Harden tasted victory in his first six games with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 106-100 in their 2023-2024 NBA regular season home game at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Nov. 18 (local time).
Harden, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers, donned a Clippers jersey in a trade on March 31.
With the addition of Harden to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook, the Los Angeles Clippers have been touted as a “super team” and a championship favorite.
But the team hasn’t won since Harden joined. From his debut against the New York Knicks on March 7 to the Denver Nuggets on March 15, the Clippers lost five straight games.
The Clippers had lost six straight before Harden joined the team.
Harden, who had been criticized for not playing as well as he had in the past, scored 24 points, the second-most on the team, in the win. He also added nine rebounds and seven assists.
The game-winner came from Harden’s fingertips.
Harden hit a three-pointer with six seconds left in the game to give the Clippers a 103-100 lead.
He then hit the ensuing free throw to make it 104-100 and swing the game in the Clippers’ favor.
With their fourth win of the season (7-0), the Clippers moved into 11th place in the Western Conference.
They also recorded their first win in the in-season tournament.
Introduced this season, the in-season tournament combines regular season games with all but the finals.
The Milwaukee Bucks extended their winning streak to three games with a victory over the Charlotte Hornets, led by “Greek Freak” Yanis Adetokunbo’s triple-double performance.
In his one-game return from a calf injury, Adetokunle scored 16 points, dished out nine assists, and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes to lead the team to victory.
A two-time regular season Most Valuable Player (MVP), Adetokunbo led the team to a championship in the 2020-2021 season, earning Championship Game MVP honors, and has been a consistent performer this season, averaging 29.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.
Thanks to Adetokunbo, Milwaukee has won three straight games and moved into third place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-4 record.
Milwaukee also extended its in-season tournament winning streak to two games and remained atop the Eastern Conference’s Group B standings.
The New Orleans Pelicans won their second straight game, defeating the Denver Nuggets 115-110.
With a 5-5 record, New Orleans moved into eighth place in the West.
Zion Williamson was the biggest contributor to New Orleans’ victory, scoring 26 points and dishing out six assists.
Denver star Nikola Jokic recorded a “triple-double” with 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 18 assists in the loss.
The defending champions suffered their third loss of the season (9 wins), but remain atop the West. 스포츠토토사이트
[18-day NBA standings].
Lakers 107-95 Portland
Phoenix 131-128 Utah
New Orleans 115-1110 Denver
Orlando 103-97 Chicago
Sacramento 129-120 San Antonio
Boston 108-105 Toronto
Cleveland 108-100 Detroit
Philadelphia 126-116 Atlanta
New York 120-99 Washington
Milwaukee 130-99 Charlotte