In the absence of Leonard, with the combined play of Harden and Westbrook, the Clippers defeated the Hornets 113-104 at home, ending a two-game losing streak, bringing the record to 18-12, tying the Mavericks, and returning to fourth in the West with a 2-1 record advantage.
The Clippers had suffered a two-game losing streak before, mainly because of Leonard's absence, but also because the opponents were too strong, and the Thunder and Celtics had excellent records. Leonard was out again today, but fortunately, the Clippers' opponent was the Hornets, who had lost seven in a row, and they also managed to get the victory.
Harden performed well today, playing 40 minutes, shooting 8-of-16, including 6-of-12 three-pointers, scoring 29 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, and also had 4 turnovers, with a team-high plus/minus of +20. In the first half, Harden scored 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 5-of-8 three-pointers, 3-of-3 free throws, and scored 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. This is also the fourth time that Harden has scored 25+ this season, and the Clippers have won all four games.
George had an average hand today, with a decent performance, 37 minutes on the field, 10-of-25 shooting, 5-of-11 three-pointers, 25 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, plus/minus +9. George also broke the 17,000-point mark today, bringing his career total to 17,003.
Wei Shao was very powerful today, playing 28 minutes off the bench, shooting 5 of 8, 2 of 2 three-pointers, 2 of 3 free throws, and scoring 14 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Zubac started the game and played 31 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-8 from the free-throw line to finish with 18 points, 14 rebounds and four assists, including five frontcourt boards, with a second-highest plus/minus of +13.
On the Hornets' side, Myles Bridges played 38 minutes, shooting 9-of-23 from the field and 3-of-10 from three-point range, with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Rozier had a terrible hand, playing 39 minutes, shooting just 8-of-23 from the field, 1-of-8 from three-point range, finishing with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 77 assists, and 4 turnovers. PJ Washington played 26 minutes off the bench, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, 0-of-2 from three-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers, with a plus/minus of -4.