James Harden scored 43 points, his most since March 2021, and the Los Angeles Clippers sent the host Washington Wizards to their 13th consecutive loss in a 121-96 rout yesterday (Philippine time).
Harden, whose season high coming into the contest was 29 points, eclipsed that total before halftime when he was fouled on a three-point attempt at the second-quarter buzzer. Knocking down all three foul shots, Harden went into the locker room with 31 points — and the Clippers capped a 16-2 run to close the period, giving them a 61-44 lead.
Los Angeles held Washington without a point for 5:19 of that run. Then, in the third quarter, the Clippers kept the Wizards without a made field goal for a stretch lasting 3:19.
Harden connected on back-to-back three-pointers in the third quarter to help Los Angeles blow the game open. He reached the 40-point mark for and first since the 2020-2021 season before the end of the period.
Harden, and the rest of the Clippers starters, sat the entire fourth quarter with the game well in hand.
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The Los Angeles lead swelled to as many as 33 points in the final period, and the Clippers cruised to their sixth win in seven games. The latest victory was the fifth time in that seven-game span in which Los Angeles held its opponent to 99 points or fewer.
Washington shot just 35-for-85 (41.2 percent) from the floor and 8-for-33 (24.2 percent) from three-point range, and Los Angeles converted 20 Wizards turnovers into 31 points. With the defeat, the Wizards matched the third-longest losing streak in franchise history, after 16-game stretches in 2009-2010 and 2023-2024. (Field Level Media / Reuters)