With a season-high 28 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds, James Harden recorded his 25,000th career point. Kawhi Leonard contributed 27 points and eight rebounds to the Los Angeles Clippers’ 121-113 victory against the struggling Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

For the 11th time in 14 games, the Clippers overcame Paul George’s first injury absence of the season thanks to 10 of Norman Powell’s 21 points in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles advanced to 5-0 at home in December by skillfully withstanding the Warriors’ late charge.

James does that, according to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. Since PG wasn’t playing tonight, Harden played at a higher level. He had to produce more and make more plays for himself and his teammates since he was getting the ball more often. We brought him here just for that purpose, and he had a fantastic game.

Late in the third quarter, Harden made NBA history by becoming the 24th player to collect 25,000 points on a driving layup. The veteran has adapted well to the Clippers, shooting a solid percentage and changing his style of play to blend in with Leonard and George, who missed time due to a left hip ailment.

“Winning is the key, regardless of how many points I scored tonight—two or twenty-eight,” Harden declared. “The numbers and everything: I’ve achieved a wide range of individual metrics and done a lot of various things. It’s all about winning, developing camaraderie, and getting better all around for me, and I felt like we made progress as a team tonight.

For Golden State, which lost 12 of 16 games overall and had a 0-3 road trip, Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 points while making eight 3-pointers. This week has seen the team’s turbulent season becoming even more unpredictable.

The Warriors started yet another possibly protracted period of time without Draymond Green, who is suspended indefinitely after striking Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic in the face on Tuesday. Stephen Curry scored 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

“It was difficult, as Draymond plays a significant role in our operations, and we will deeply miss him,” Thompson remarked. We are confident that he will return even stronger and a different person. As a brother and friend, I will miss him. I adore him and am eagerly awaiting his return. Although there is a significant hole in our team right now, we will continue to play our hardest and do the best we can in his absence.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr stressed the team’s support for Green’s ban and the fact that he will receive unspecified assistance to deal with his increasing number of infractions and excessively aggressive play in the lead-up to the game. The defensive wizard and four-time NBA champion has already served four suspensions in 2023 alone.

Curry stated, “He realizes that he can’t continue doing what he’s been doing.” “We are aware of that. Everyone is aware of that. The quest for the solution, in my opinion, is what needs to change. That is the current path we are taking. .. Everyone has mountains to climb, and Draymond has his own. Regardless of how long it takes him to get there, I have faith that he will succeed.

Key absences forced both clubs to alter their usual starting lineups. Amir Coffey took up George’s starting position, and Golden State promoted Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to replace Green and Andrew Wiggins.

In his first career start, youngster Podziemski finished with four points on 2-of-11 shooting, while Kuminga scored fifteen points in his second start of the year.

Although Thompson has had a quiet start, in his home state of Southern California, the seasoned marksman delivered a memorable show. He made four 3-pointers in the third quarter to give the Warriors a lead, but in the fourth, Curry and Thompson shot just 1 for 7 together.

With seven straight road losses, including two this month against the Clippers, Chris Paul scored twelve points against his former team, the Warriors. In the second quarter, Paul was called for a Flagrant Foul 1 after he blocked out beneath the Clippers hoop and shoved Daniel Theis with both hands.

The Clippers’ advantage was cut to six points by Paul’s 32-footer at the end of the third quarter. The Warriors pulled within one early in the fourth quarter, but they then went three minutes without scoring.