James Harden hits clutch 3, finally gets 1st win with Clippers - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — James Harden hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer while getting fouled with six seconds to play, sending the LA Clippers to their first victory since his arrival with a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night in the NBA in-season tournament.

Harden dramatically drew the foul from Jae'Sean Tate and drilled his vintage 26-footer from atop the key before completing the four-point play to secure the win. The Clippers had lost six games in a row, including their first five since acquiring Harden from Philadelphia.

«We've still got a long way to go, but obviously it felt good to get a win,» Harden said. «You can't take those for granted. But like I continue to say, it's a building process, and I can see a lot of [areas for] improvement on both sides of the ball to correct and get used to.»

Jabari Smith Jr. forced Kawhi Leonard to give up the ball on the decisive possession, but Harden came through with the biggest shot of his short tenure with his hometown team. Harden finished with a season-high 24 points and nine rebounds against the Rockets, his team for nine seasons from 2012-2021.

«He played great,» Leonard said, mentioning Harden's 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists and just three turnovers. «That's a great ratio with as much as he has the basketball. We know how good he is.»

Leonard added two free throws in the final second and finished with 26 points as the Clippers avoided their longest losing streak since the 2019 arrivals of Leonard and Paul George, who added 23 points and eight rebounds.

«I feel like Kawhi was their first option,» Smith said of Harden's four-point play. «But with three All-Stars and Hall of Famers on their team, I feel like the job wasn't done, and he just made a tough shot.»

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