James Harden made his long-anticipated debut for the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night against the New York Knicks. But despite delivering a solid performance, the former NBA MVP couldn’t help his new team to avoid a 97-111 loss.
The Clippers made a blockbuster trade for Harden earlier this month, adding him to a star-studded lineup that also has Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. Each of the four stars scored in double digits against the Knicks, but it was obvious they would need time to get comfortable playing together.
However, Harden wasn’t discouraged by the fact that the Clippers came up short in his debut for the franchise, saying that this team has “unlimited possibilities”.
“I feel kind of weird out there,” Harden told reporters after the game. “But just not really having a preseason game or an opportunity to participate in the full training camp or none of that. It was just [being] out there and just basically winging it. Try to go off my basketball instincts and what I’ve been doing for the last few years or whatnot. I just went out there and playing and thinking the game and trying to make the game easier for everybody else.”
Harden finished the night with 17 points and six assists, and Westbrook added 17 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Leonard had 18 points, while George struggled to shoot the ball but still got 10 points, seven boards, and three steals.
The Clippers are 3-3 to start the 2023-24 campaign and will get another look at their new lineup against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
