Dillon Brooks did what every defender shouldn't when guarding James Harden

With just four second-half points, LA Clippers’ franchise superstar, James Harden, still dropped a 30 piece against the Phoenix Suns. He was on one of the most ridiculous heat checks the fans have ever seen, and what led “The Beard” to this point was a wake-up call from Dillon Brooks, who decided to disturb the sleeping lion.

Furthermore, Harden went 7-for-8 from the floor in the first half, making five three-pointers. It got to a point where he was just attempting pull-up threes from anywhere behind the line, as every shot felt good, and it certainly showed with his performance.

Had Brooks simply covered Harden the way the Utah Jazz did, the score in the first half may have been a lot closer. But a lesson was learned for the Clippers’ upcoming opponents: he can still go vintage at 36.

The turning point of the LA Clippers’ win was Dillon Brooks’ over-aggressiveness

In the first half, the score was not out of hand until James Harden went berserk. He was playing well alongside Kawhi Leonard, the two-time champion, but the LA Clippers had an extremely slow start to the game and initially made it seem like nothing had changed following their disappointing loss to the Utah Jazz.

Moreover, in the first quarter, the Phoenix Suns’ lead grew as large as nine points. Devin Booker was on fire, as he drilled a ridiculous four-point play through the contact at a level of a flagrant one, and Dillon Brooks was doing a good bit of scoring, like he did in their season-opener.

However, the Clippers were poised and did not let a near double-digit lead affect their game plan. This helped LA spark a turnaround, where they were now up by almost 15 with a few minutes left in the first half.

This is when Brooks thought it was wise to cover Harden with a little extra physicality. What he may have forgotten is that the 11-time All-Star is as cold as they come, and he proved this, for the millionth time in his career, by draining three straight three-pointers, ending the first 24 minutes of the game with 26 points.

That said, of the opponents on the Clippers’ schedule, they should learn from Brooks’ defensive mistakes on Harden. There is no easy way to guard him, but it is certainly not a good idea to urge him into snapping back into reality.