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James Harden Makes NBA History in Clippers-Mavericks

LA Clippers star James Harden passed Tim Duncan on a historic NBA list

Logan Struck

Dec 1, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) moves the ball down court against the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) moves the ball down court against the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
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James Harden joined the LA Clippers in the 2023 offseason, with many fans regarding the 35-year-old guard as washed up or burnt out. While Harden is well past his prime, the star guard has been a major reason why the Clippers are hanging in the playoff picture in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

The Clippers are 16-12 on the season, while Harden is averaging 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game and shooting a career-high 89.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Harden has cemented himself as one of the most prolific scorers of all time, and while he does not go for 40 and 50 on a nightly basis anymore, it is easy to reminisce about when he used to. In the 2018-19 season, Harden averaged an absurd 36.1 points per game, including scoring 49 points per game through the month of January 2019.

Harden's scoring ability in his prime is unmatched, as only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have bested his 2018-19 scoring output.

During Saturday's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, Harden truly elevated himself as one of the league's top scorers. Harden officially passed NBA legend Tim Duncan for 16th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Duncan, a five-time champion for the San Antonio Spurs, was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and is regarded as the best power forward to ever play the game. Harden passing Duncan on the highly-respected list is truly an unremarkable milestone for the Clippers guard.

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Logan Struck
LOGAN STRUCK

Logan Struck is a writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's On SI since 2023

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