Harden broke the record with 35 points and 9 assists!The Clippers won eight in a row, and Leonard scored 28 points
On December 19th, the NBA's regular season continues, and the Clippers will visit the Pacers. Prior to that, the Clippers had moved back to sixth place in the East with a 15-10 run and seven wins. They have recently been 12-3 in the league and have shown a lot of quality. Willis sat on the bench and played well, and the trio of Harden, Jr., and George were league-high in many important points and three-point shooting percentages. The team's overall defensive ability has also improved from the previous 20th place to the seventh place in the league. Harden has become an active player, playing a role model on defense and constantly looking for more opportunities to attack.
Leonard has played well in his last five games, averaging 34 points, six rebounds and four assists per game, while shooting 64 from three three-pointers7%,62.1%,94.9%。He himself said that the addition of Harden made this game much less difficult. In addition, the Clippers also moved up from 15th last season to seventh place. Coach Tyronn Lue also supported Harden, saying that he is not lacking in offensive desire, but is good at making the right decisions, and he is a very intelligent person who can contribute more than 20 goals in a game.
In the last 13-11 games, the Pacers have been the most effective of all stats. Haliburton averages 25 per game7 points, 12 rebounds, led the team to play wave after wave of offense. However, they have been poor at the back, finishing in 28th. Another highlight of the game was point guard Harden's confrontation with Haliburton.
On the starting list, Haliburton, Bruce Brown, Hield, Topin, Jackson. And the Clippers' starters are Harden, Mann, George, Leonard and Zubac.
Soon after the opening game, Harden delivered a jumper from George, and then Bruce Brown also scored in a row. Then, Harden fed Zubac and Leonard made a back-to-back shot to score four points for the Clippers. With Hield and Toppin playing, they played well on the inside and outside, while Bruce continued to push forward. George and Leonard were still one-on-two, and George was also sent three points by Wei Shao. The two teams took turns attacking, and the score took turns to rise. Brilliant performances from Mann and Leonard in the second half opened the door for the team, and George also hit back-to-back three-pointers. After Westbrook made a three-pointer, he fed George another three-pointer, and the Pacers also relied on strong counterattacks from Hield and McConnell to win the game. After the first quarter, the Clippers' 37-38 advantage left the Pacers behind.
When Harden was replaced, the overall strength of the Clippers began to decline. Halfway through the second quarter, the Pacers kept pulling the score apart, but a blue run by Harden helped the team stop the decline. Harden gave Zubac another chance, and Leonard made a turn to help the team catch up with the difference. Halfway through the game, the cooperation of Harden and Powell narrowed the gap between the two sides a little. Then, Harden's Clippers began to go on a killing spree, Harden scored a three-pointer, and in the face of Jackson's interception, Haliburton tried to fight back, but he kicked the ball off the line. After halftime, Harden scored 14 points and 6 rebounds, Leonard scored 17 points, George scored 18 points, and the Clippers led 77-66.
Haliburton tried to fight back, but Harden sent 2+1 assists to Zubac and George also hit a three-pointer, which forced the Pacers to call for a break. Haliburton shot again, Zubac was once again assisted by Harden, and Leonard hit a mid-range shot to stretch the score by 20 points. Harden created a good opportunity for his teammates, and George began to shoot frequently to find his senses. At halftime, Leonard and Matherine exchanged three-pointers, and Willis and George went inside one after another, completing three-point shots again and again. Leonard received a pass and hit a jumper, with Walla and Harry Bolton hitting three-pointers at the end of the quarter, Westbrook also hitting a three-pointer and Powell hitting two three-pointers to extend the gap to 25 points. After three quarters, the Clippers led 114-94, and it looked like they had run out of ways for the four giants.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the Pacers narrowed the score to 15, thanks to Smith. Harden blocked his three-pointer in the final minute, and then George gave Harden another three-pointer. Harden single-handedly brought Hield down, and George gave Harden a three-pointer. Harden scored 21 points in the game, setting his highest single-game record. In the end, the Clippers outscored the Pacers 151-127 to claim eight wins.
On the Clippers' side, Harden scored 35 points, 3 rebounds and 9 assists, 3 3 3, 11 of which were 8;Leonard had 28 rebounds, George had 27 points and three rebounds, Zubac had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Powell had 19 rebounds and the rest were 10, four rebounds and five assists. On the Pacers' side, Haliburton had eight points, two rebounds and 11 assists, but it was clear that he was not doing well in front of Harden. Jackson had 15 points, Toppin had 14 points, three rebounds and four assists, Hield had 14 points and four assists, Mathurine played well and grabbed a rebound, Smith had a rebound and McConnell had a rebound.