The Golden State Warriors have lost three games in their season. Two of them have now come against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Intuit Dome enjoyed a frantic finish as their side improved to 8-7. It’s a sign of stability without their franchise kingpin Kawhi Leonard. And a man who is leaving his all out there is James Harden. Even if meant playing through sickness, the Beard did it.

When the night initially began, he and Stephen Curry met at the scorer’s table. They shared a warm moment to commemorate the Clippers’ floor general becoming the second-most decorated three-point shooter in NBA history. They shared an embrace and Harden smiled. But his emotions cloaked an illness and a chest tightness that he suffered from.

But to the former MVP, he has previously stated “the best days are when your legs are a little tired,”. So Harden put on his brave face and made vital contributions in the Clippers’ second win against the Bay.

When asked about his decision after the game, Harden’s mindset hadn’t wavered from his 2019 stance. “For me, I’m able to run and you know still be myself. Like I played through injuries to where I couldn’t really run out there so this little sickness and chest tighness wasn’t going to stop me from playing,” a sick-looking James Harden said after the game.

Knowing fatigue would set in early as a result of his illness, Harden decided to lead a surge early. Off his 12 points, he scored  8 in the first quarter while also garnering 6 assists. It helped the Clippers gain a 15-point lead at its peak. The two-time assist leader, derailed by weakness played an integral role, dishing out 16 assists in the win. “Just cause we got a mission, we got a goal,” Harden termed the reason behind his inspiring night.

However, his herculean effort nearly came to ruins in the final two minutes of the game.

James Harden and the Clippers survived a great look

In the final two and a half minutes, the Clippers held a 10-point lead. It seemed as if they would comfortably get away with a win. However, the Warriors contingent managed to dim the effervescent energy at the Intuit Dome. Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry added 7 points in 90 seconds to make the finish a nail-biter.

It became a game of getting a stop from there. Gary Payton II, a defensive pest got the steal, but the Clippers did a great job of setting their defense in transition. The Bay got up two threes, Payton’s being the final one but both never hit nylon. And just like that, the Clippers held on to.

It being on a back-to-back night, head coach Ty Lue was amazed by the Clippers’ energy in their home win. “However we got a win, we got a win. So, it doesn’t matter. Defensively, I thought we did a good job… and then rebounding the basketball,” he said after the thriller.

The Warriors had among the most fluent offense in the NBA coming into this matchup. They averaged a fraction over 120 points per game. Tonight, the collective effort defensively limited them to just 99. It was the first time this season that they were held to under 100 points. It came largely due to their turnovers. The Clippers scored 31 points from those mistakes.

However, the home team made the same errors. Yet, a balanced offense, led by Norman Powell’s efficient 23 points got the job done. Still, James Harden did point out the various flaws they should have avoided. “We had opportunities to score. We turned the ball over a couple of times. They missed shots. We didn’t rebound. They get offensive rebounds. They get more chances,” said the Beard.

What mattered in the end for them was a win, their 8th of the season without Kawhi Leonard. When the Klaw does return, how good do you think the Clippers can be? Let us know your views in the comments below.