‘I Still Can Score With the Best of Them’

The Los Angeles Clippers delivered a dominant 109–97 win in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that the Clippers did it without superstar forward Kawhi Leonard, who is still dealing with a knee issue suffered in late March.

Picking up the slack for the Clippers was guard James Harden, who finished the night with 28 points, including a blistering 20-point first half that helped put the game relatively out of reach early. In addition to finishing as the game’s leading scorer, Harden also dished out eight assists. One early feed to Russell Westbrook for a corner three sent the home crowd into delirium.

Harden was asked about his first-half scoring outburst after the game, and sent a clear message to the rest of the West with his answer: Leonard might be down, but the Clippers are still ready to score.

“I can still score with the best of ‘em,” Harden said. “My role for this team is just to generate really good shots, make other guys’ jobs easier, and then when my number to score is called, score the basketball. Obviously, Kawhi is out, so my play-making, my volume is going to go up a little more, and I took advantage of it.”

Harden Will Have to Keep Up the Offensive Output in Kawhi’s Absence

The Clippers are lucky Harden is ready to take on whatever role is necessary when the stakes are so high.

While the Clippers looked dominant in Game 1, there’s still a long way to go in the series, and the Mavericks are a dangerous opponent, with superstars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving inevitably going to keep things close if given the chance. It’s still unclear when Leonard, who led Los Angeles in scoring with 23.7 points per game this year, will return to the floor for the Clippers.

In his stead, the Clippers are going to need Harden to keep shooting, while also distributing to ensure the offense can continue to get the most out of their role players on the floor.

Harden seems ready for the challenge.

“We believe in each other,” Harden said on the court after the game. “We miss Kawhi, but we’ve still got to win games. We did a really good of it job tonight. Now we get ready for Game 2.”

Game 2 between the Clippers and Mavericks tips off on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.

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