LOS ANGELES — Much maligned for supposedly being a bad fit in an already-loaded team, James Harden is starting to gel nicely with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 10-time All-Star and 2018 NBA MVP tallied 16 points and 13 assists to lead the high-powered Clippers offense to a 117-106 victory over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies a fullhouse Crypto.com Arena.
“We didn’t expect it to be a hit right away,” said Harden of the October 30 trade that brought him from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. “Tonight and over the last couple of games, when someone like Kawhi (Leonard) is out you need me to score and play make a little bit more.”
In his 26 games as a Clipper, Harden is averaging 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists per. Against the Grizzlies, the former Rocket got plenty of help.
Paul George had 23 points while Russell Westbrook and Norman Powell combined for 27 off the bench. The Clippers shot 49.4 percent from the field (43-of-87) to overcome a tepid 28.2 percent shooting from three-point range (11-of-39).
After losing six in a row last month, the Clippers improved to 11-2 in December and are now ranked fourth in the Western Conference with a 19-12 record.
The Grizzlies, meanwhile, lost their second straight outing, dropping them to 10-21 for the season and currently out of the play-in tournament picture.
Ja Morant flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists and six rebounds but it wasn’t enough to survive a tough shooting night when Memphis made only 38 of 87 shots while being pummeled off the boards, 54-33.
Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. each had 22 points for Memphis and Desmond Bane chipped in 15.
