The LA Clippers and The Mavericks are going hammer and tongs in their playoff series, with both sides locked 2-2. On Sunday, the Clippers restored parity to the series after trailing 2-1 and most of the credit goes to James Harden and Paul George’s veteran experience.
With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving leading the Mavs’ scoring, any team would have a hard time defensively and the LA side was no different. After stopping the Mavs 116-111, James Harden explained the challenge faced by them defensively and said, “It’s a show. It’s like elite, skilled, Hall of Fame basketball players going at it… there’s only so much you can do defensively.” He added that whoever can make the stops more frequently gets the edge in these sorts of games where both teams can score and pass the ball with multiple elite-level talents on the floor.
Looking back at the game, the merit of Harden’s point can be proved. Kyrie Irving went berserk by scoring 40 points, along with Luka’s 29 on the night. On the other hand, Harden and Paul George both scored 33 each, but their veteran experience of picking a pass and making the correct defensive move ultimately proved the point of difference in the game.
While the series is now tied at 2 wins each, Harden is checking off some career targets. Amid all the action, Harden reached a career milestone and surpassed one of Los Angeles’ favorite sons, Kobe Bryant.
James Harden Surpasses Kobe Bryant in Game 4
James Harden, throughout his career, had a reputation of being a provider of acute passes. He kept that going in the regular season and now in the postseason as well. Apart from the 33 points he recorded, Harden also clipped in with 7 assists in game 4. With that, he took his NBA playoff assists tally to 1041, which is one more than the late Kobe Bryant.
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The next target for Harden is Bulls legend Scottie Pippen, who has 1048 playoff assists and occupies the 10th spot on the list. Harden will have the opportunity to leapfrog the 6-time NBA Champion on Wednesday when the Clippers will host the Mavs for game 5 at the Crypto.com Arena.
