The Los Angeles Clippers left Spectrum Center on Saturday with a 131-116 win over the Charlotte Hornets, and they wouldn't have gotten the job done without a masterful 55-point game from James Harden. In pulling off this vintage performance, Harden proved what Clippers fans have been saying all along: that he's still good enough to carry this team offensively when he needs to.
Harden's double-nickel was the highest single-game scoring outing for any player in the history of the Clippers franchise. With Kawhi Leonard out of the lineup and a scrappy Hornets team across from them desperate for a win, Harden knew he had to dig deep.
The result was an all-time performance the likes of which many outsiders were unconfident Harden still had left in the tank. We have certainly seen James have something of a late-career resurgence since he arrived in Los Angeles, but the skeptics were all but convinced he'd never score 50 again.
Those skeptics were shaking in their boots when Harden dropped 27 of his eventual 55 points in the first quarter alone. James was pulling up from everywhere, driving to the cup, executing the pick-and-roll game flawlessly, and getting pretty much anything he wanted on offense. He didn't look like a star past his prime, he looked like 2018 Harden all over again.
James Harden proved he can still turn it up when needed
When he was asked about the performance after the game, Harden made it clear that he was just doing what he felt he needed to for the Clippers to earn a win. "Needed a win. At this point it’s just about winning,” Harden said. “Making the right decision. That’s how I play every single game. Some nights I’m really, really good at it. Some nights I’m not the best at it. And I try to be great every single night. It’s just that simple.”
These are the words of a veteran who has had countless 40 and 50-point games, but is at the stage of his career where it's about more than just raw numbers. Still, he understands that part of being a professional is setting a good example for the younger generation.
"In year 17 I still want to show the young guys like the guys that just walked past me, like hey, I’m still doing it," he said. "I’m still professional about it. I’m going to go out there and I’m going to still try to get 50." This was the kind of game where you saw James' muscle memory revert back to his old scoring mentality. He always had it in him, it was just a matter of having the right circumstances to tap into that part of his game.
Clippers fans can see what James Harden has done for this franchise in the last two years he's been a part of it. It was always obvious to those who have been paying attention on a nightly basis that he's still this talented, and a night like this made it undeniable to the national audience as well.