The Los Angeles Clippers are taking down one after the other. In a string of winnings, the LA-based franchise extended their winning streak to a third game by crushing the Utah Jazz in an overtime 120-116 win. The game saw monster performances from Clippers starters James Harden and Norman Powell, with the latter posting his season-high of 41 points. But it’s not just the usual stars who grabbed the eyeballs.

After his trade, Ben Simmons made his ambitious debut with the Clippers and his performance got the team’s head coach talking. In a post-game interview, Ty Lue dropped a major verdict on the point guard saying, “it was his first game and so I thought he did a great job just”, and added, “reading the game, his IQ, making the right play, you know, aggressive to the basket, I thought was really good for us.” 

Tyronn’s remarks come after Ben posted 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals during his 27 minutes off the bench. The Aussie player hit almost every shot he took, nailing all his free throws. Even though Powell and Harden led the Clippers, Ben’s contributions helped them not lose the game. While Lue’s praise will echo in the locker room this night, Simmons’ debut game made it to the franchise’s books.

In the last 20 years of the team, Ben became their third player after Kawhi Leonard and Blake Griffin to record all those numbers in under 30 minutes. It’s clear that the reason for Ben’s success is not just his solid performances, but also Ty’s skills of being a mastermind at fitting players into his system. But ahead of the game, the team’s star James Harden asked the head coach to make some necessary changes to the team.

What was Harden’s request to the Clippers head coach in Ben Simmons’ debut game?

Over the years Harden has been criticised for not making efforts, but he demonstrated a renewed commitment for the game. It was reported that the 35-year-old power forward actively lobbied coach Ty to keep him in the upcoming game. A Legion Hoops tweet revealed the conversation with James, saying, “I told Ty Lue don’t take me out the game. This was a must win for us. We needed to go into the break with some swagger.”

In Thursday’s game, James played continuously for 49 minutes, putting up impressive stats. The game saw him post 32 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to the Clippers’ momentum. His plea highlights his desire to lead the team and finish strong by securing a win before the All-Star break. Harden’s efforts come in as a strong support for the team, especially with Kawhi out.

This season James is averaging 21.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists and his numbers took a dive after the 26 January’s game against the Bucks where he dropped 40 points. But the recent form of the whole Clippers squad looks promising. The team is now at a 31-23 record holding the 6th place in the Western Conference. With James’ new form and Simmons’ firepower on their side, the Clippers look to revive themselves heading into the week of All-Star festivities. Fans are eager to see what comes next from this squad.