The Clippers fans witnessed an instant classic in their very first regular season game at the newly launched Intuit Dome. Unfortunately, the home team could not cap it off with a win. While James Harden tried his best to send the LA crowd home happy, his inefficient performance, especially in overtime, put a stain on what was supposed to be a historic night for the franchise. Sure enough, The Beard was not pleased with the outcome.

Addressing the tough loss after the game, he said, “I’m so disappointed man that we didn’t get the win. I mean that’s like probably one of the most frustrating things that I can think about as far as tonight.” Well, Harden got multiple chances to seal the opening game in the new arena. Following Kevin Durant’s game-tying shot in the final seconds, James missed the go-ahead bucket at the buzzer. And it was more of the same in overtime.

Sure enough, his struggles continued as he had a tough time getting a shot off in the final minutes. Yes, he did manage to draw a foul in the last five seconds, giving him a chance to tie the game. But Harden missed one of his two free throw attempts. Then, with another chance to tie the game with a three, he turned the ball over on the inbound pass as the Suns celebrated their victory. Although he finished with 29 points, he missed 64.3% of his field goal attempts and choked during crunch time.

Surprisingly, he broke character and was apologetic for leaving the fans disappointed. He said, “Like this you know history in Inglewood Intuit Dome, the fans came out and showed out and we got the short end of the stick.” But he was appreciative of everyone for bringing out the energy in the Clippers’ new home.

James Harden urges fans to keep their energy high while crediting Kevin Durant for his performance

While the Intuit Dome did not get the start that the Clippers fans hoped, last night was surely the dawn of a new era for the franchise. Harden commended the supporters for making it a special night, “I think they gave us great energy tonight and I think the more they continue to, the better our results will be. So, we appreciate the fans and we gotta do our part and they definitely did the rest tonight.”

However, he did not take any credit away from the Suns for their amazing performance. Especially KD, who hit a tough game-tying shot in the final seconds of regulation, “I don’t know how he made it… You gotta give them credit. They made some big-time shots and yeah it wasn’t that easy.” Hopefully, the Clippers can turn things around in the next game after opening night’s heartbreaking loss.