INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The points continue to come for James Harden, who became the 20th player in NBA history to reach 26,000 points in his career in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 125-119 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
Harden was more worried about the points the Clippers have been giving up, having squandered double-digit leads in both games of a back-to-back. Los Angeles led by as many as 21 on Thursday, following a wasted 10-point advantage in a 106-105 defeat to Portland the night before.
“It’s definitely frustrating, just ’cause we was up double digits in both games,” Harden said. “Last night, we didn’t (play well) and we still had a double-digit lead. Tonight, we played well, especially in that first half and up 20-something. Like, it’s there. We just got to find ways to not lose it and continue to play our brand of basketball.”
Harden joined the elusive group when he made his second free throw with 1:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. It came in his first triple double of the season and 78th of his career, tying Wilt Chamberlain for seventh in NBA history, as Harden finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
Harden also had six turnovers, including fumbling the ball away when the score was tied at 105 with 5:20 remaining. Phoenix ended up turning that mistake into a 3-pointer from Devin Booker and a lead it would not relinquish.
“You’ve seen the usage rate I got, it’s going to happen,” Harden said. “Like, turnovers is gonna happen. … But the ones that is unforced, I gotta control those a lot better. But I don’t think it’s necessarily turnovers that lost the game. That third quarter, defensively, they just didn’t feel us, defensively, our presence.”
The Clippers’ three losses this season have been by a combined 10 points. Harden views those narrow defeats as something that could end up benefitting them later on, especially taking into account the ongoing absence of Kawhi Leonard because of a knee injury.
“We just got to find ways to execute and win ’em,” he said. “The last two was tough, but we’ll get there sooner than later.”
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