Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden played hard for the team on Thursday and was on the court for 49 minutes. Harden’s time on the floor was worth it as he helped capture the overtime win over the Utah Jazz, 120-116. The 6-foot-5 guard filled the stat sheet with 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. They needed The Beard’s output on a night when All-Star Kawhi Leonard wasn’t available.
Harden’s teammate, Norman Powell, helped out with his 41-point performance. Powell’s performance was the first time he scored at least 40 points this season. Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons played his first game for the Los Angeles team. Simmons came off the bench and had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Interestingly, Harden decided to play nearly 50 minutes against Utah. After the game, NBA Insider Joey Linn asked the 11-time All-Star for the reason behind his increased minutes. According to the veteran star, he told head coach Ty Lue to let him stay longer on the court as he wants the team to enter the All-Star break with a win.
“I told T-Lue don’t take me out the game. This was a must win for us. We needed to go into the break with some swagger,” Harden said.
James Harden on playing 49 minutes:
“I told T-Lue don’t take me out the game. This was a must win for us. We needed to go into the break with some swagger.”
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 14, 2025
This season, Harden has averaged 34 minutes per game. However, that has slightly increased over the last 10 games he’s played in. The veteran star has played 35.6 minutes during that span, averaging 21.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 10.6 assists and 1.6 steals.
Fans share mixed reactions to Ben Simmons’ first points for the Clippers
Simmons has a fresh start with the Clippers after he agreed to a contract buyout with the Brooklyn Nets. After finalizing the papers, the 6-foot-10 guard-forward signed a deal to play for the Los Angeles team. Fans of the franchise saw what the former Philadelphia 76ers star is capable of in his first game.
Harden set up his alley-oop, the first point he scored as a Clipper.
Ben Simmons catches the alley-oop for his first Clippers points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yvBCWEokZ3
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 14, 2025
After seeing the sequence, fans discussed the former LSU star’s performance.
“those colors just look right on ben,” a fan said, referring to the identical colors of Los Angeles to Philly.
“ben simmons coming out the gate hot in his clippers debut. i’m digging the energy, but let’s see if he can keep that same intensity all game,” another fan said.
“Feels like Ben will finally break out his rookie year with the Clippers,” one fan trolled.
Feels like Ben will finally break out his rookie year with the Clippers.
— Emporium (@EmporiumPixels) February 14, 2025
“Harden can even make ben simmons look good”
“SIMMONS SLAMS INTO CLIPPERS HISTORY🎗 First Basket is Thunderous.”
“This can’t be a real video”
“It looks like Ben will make a big splash in his first season with the Clippers.”
It looks like Ben will make a big splash in his first season with the Clippers.
— Maђaͥ∂aͣvͫ ka Ladla (@Mahadevkaladl) February 14, 2025
“Flashback of his prime”
“Maybe a fresh start in LA is exactly what he needed! 👀🏀”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
