In Game 4 vs. the Nuggets, the Clippers were stunned at the buzzer. Nikola Jokic attempted a shot to win the game. It went long, and Aaron Gordon caught the ball and dunked it just before time expired.
That tied the series 2-2 as the Nuggets were back home for Game 5 on Tuesday night. LA lost the game 131-115 and are down 3-2 in the series, heading back home for Game 6. ESPN’s Romona Shelbourne had a puzzling stat about Harden’s Game 5 performance. Last night, the Clippers averaged 0.72 points per play on the 35 plays Harden was involved in. Those were both his lowest outputs of this series.
James Harden was ineffective for the Clippers in Game 5
If it felt like James Harden wasn’t that involved tonight, he wasn’t. According to @ESPNStatsInfo LA averaged just 0.72 points per play on the 35 plays Harden was involved in. Both are his lowest marks of the series.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 30, 2025
All five of the Clippers’ starters scored in double figures last night. Ivica Zubac led LA with 27 points. James Harden had the lowest scoring game of the team’s starters with 11 points. He was 3-9 from the field and 0-2 from beyond the arc. Harden played 35 minutes and was a team worst -16 when he was on the court. The Clippers’ defense let up 29 assists by Denver in Game 5.
James Harden’s play in Game 5 was not going to cut it for the Clippers. This was his worst offensive output this series. His previous low was 15 points in Game 4. For the second straight game, Harden skipped media availability. Not a great look for the veteran guard. James Harden playing well offensively could have been the difference for the Clippers in games four and five.
Instead, they have lost two straight and will be eliminated if they lose Game 6. The series is heading back to the Intuit Dome on Thursday night. LA needs a vintage performance from James Harden in Game 6. He’s scored over 30 points just once in this series. That was in Game 1. What type of performance will the 35-year-old have Thursday night in Game 6?
