51 minutes! Harden s 41-point triple-double exposed the Clippers biggest problem?

In the regular season, the Clippers defeated the Mavericks 133-127 in an away game.

In this game, Harden played his strongest game of the season: playing 51 minutes, he made 13 of 25 shots, 6 of 12 three-pointers, 9 of 11 free throws, 41 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 blocks and 1 steal. What is the concept of

? Harden in this game:

- Season highs in scoring and rebounding

- The first 40+ triple-double in Clippers history

- The oldest 40+ triple-double in NBA history (36 years and 81 days old)

——The 17th 40+ triple-double in his career, second in history (the first is Robertson with 22 times)

——Another 40+ triple-double after 4 and a half years. The last time was in March 2021, when Harden Still in the Nets, he scored 40 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists in a single game against the Pacers

Before this game, the Clippers suffered a six-game losing streak and urgently needed a victory to stop the decline, but even if the opponent was less With Irving& thick eyebrows&PJ Washington and the recently turbulent Mavericks, it was still not easy for the Clippers to win. They led by 13 points at the beginning of the fourth quarter and were dragged into overtime by their opponents. In the end, it took two overtimes to win with difficulty.

Harden made two key three-pointers in the last minute and a half of the first overtime, and both times he was behind. Unfortunately, the last attack was blocked by Gafford. Here, I lament that technological progress has been so great. The NBA's replay technology (Court IQ) can actually draw the trajectory of the ball, which is amazing.

In the second overtime, it was also Harden. He made a foul at the beginning and scored 4 points in a row - don't underestimate these 4 points. Both sides did not play well in this overtime, especially the Mavericks. They only scored 2 points on free throws in the last 4 and a half minutes. During this period, Russell made many mistakes. Although the Clippers were not in a good state, they relied on Harden's 4 points and Jones Jr.'s 4 free throws to win.

For Harden, another statistic in this game is: Harden played a total of 51 minutes and 03 seconds in the entire game, setting a personal career regular season playing time record. The previous record was 50 minutes and 30 seconds in double overtime against the Cavaliers in the 2021 regular season.

Leading the team to win with 40+ triple-doubles proves that Harden is still an extremely outstanding core, and playing 51 minutes in a single game directly illustrates the Clippers' biggest problem now - there is really no one available in the backcourt.

Paul is too old, Beal is out of action, Leonard is injured, Bogdan is unpredictable, and the only one Tyronn Lue can rely on is Harden. If he can win this game, Lue's guidance will have to give Harden a thumbs up. He committed suicide after leading by five and was chased for points. Collins did not need to play Batum. I have no idea what Lue was thinking.

Back to Harden, this season is difficult, but also amazing.

So far this season, Harden has handed over a report card: averaging 35.9 minutes per game, 25.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists, three shooting percentages of 46.1%/39.2%/90.8%, and a true shooting percentage of 64.4%.

For comparison, Harden last season: averaged 35.3 minutes per game, 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists, three shooting percentages of 41.0%/35.2%/87.4%, and a true shooting percentage of 58.2%.

Harden was already outstanding last season. His scoring was the highest since 2021. He also had many 40+ performances in a single game. He was re-elected to the All-Star (for the first time in three years) and the All-NBA Team (for the first time in five years).

Harden is even stronger this season. His scoring is the highest since he left the Rockets, his true shooting percentage is the highest since he left the Thunder, and he can also create the only 36-year-old 40+ triple-double in NBA history.

The difference is that in the first half of last season, Harden was accompanied by Powell and Zubac, so the Clippers did not play badly. In the second half, after Leonard returned, they played at a championship level (although they were eventually eliminated by the Nuggets in the first round in the tiebreaker) ;

This season, the Clippers are old and injured. Powell was traded, Zubac regressed, and Harden became a father and a mother. Although he has not helped the Clippers out of the quagmire, he has really tried his best. In terms of statistics, this game:

——When Harden is on the court, The Clippers can still score 118.7 points in 100 rounds, and their opponents have a net loss of 4.4 points

-Without Harden, the Clippers can only score 101.4 points in 100 rounds, a net loss of 10.1 points to their opponents

Although it is not as good as their peak self. But at the beginning of this season, Harden may be the best offensive Harden after a serious hamstring injury. He is productive and efficient, and he is reliable at critical moments. Before this game, Harden scored 24 points in critical moments, shooting 53.3% from the field and 50% from three-point range.

At this age of his career, not only has he not regressed, but he has shouldered a heavier game load, and his state has rebounded to the best since the Rockets. In any case, Harden is really worthy of admiration. I hope the Clippers can find a way to help Harden reduce the burden and not waste Harden's peak.