James Harden's Statement on Clippers vs Mavericks Game 1

James Harden came up huge.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Clippers already weren't the favorites heading into their series against the Dallas Mavericks, but without Kawhi Leonard, very few expected them to have a chance. James Harden knew what the mission was in Game 1, and immediately delivered in his first playoff game for the Clippers.

Immediately after the Clippers defeated the Mavericks in Game 1, James Harden was interviewed on the court.

"We believe in each other," Harden said. "We miss Kawhi, but we still gotta win games."

Without Kawhi Leonard, James Harden put up 28 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals on 47/55/100 shooting. The Clippers came out of the opening tip surprisingly hot during a morning game, even holding the Mavericks to 8 points in the second quarter. At one point, LA was up even 29 points.

"We knew how offensively talented those guys are," James Harden said. "So, we can't ease into games."

The Clippers understood the mission today without Kawhi Leonard and stole a Game 1 that very few people were expecting them to win. Now, the team has a chance to extend the series even more until Kawhi comes back.

"I was really proud of our guys for understanding the game plan," Clippers head coach Ty Lue said.

The LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks will face off in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals on Tuesday April 23, at 10:00 p.m. EST.

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