James Harden Sends Strong Message to Detroit Pistons Player

Clippers star James Harden clapped back at Malik Beasley.

Justin Grasso | Mar 21, 2025

Mar 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) reacts against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

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Many wondered if James Harden heard Malik Beasley’s comments ahead of the Detroit Pistons’ matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers recently.

This week, Harden confirmed he was aware of the Pistons veteran’s statement about guarding him as the 11-time All-Star ended up on the same stream channel with popular YouTuber N3on.

“He was talking [expletive], huh? … I gave him 50!” Harden said in front of cameras.

James Harden on Malik Beasley saying he’s easy to guard:

“He was talking s*** huh… I gave him 50.” 💀

(h/t @BASKETBALLonX)pic.twitter.com/s0rgFeuhkw
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 20, 2025

The first matchup between the Clippers and the Pistons wasn’t Harden’s hottest shooting night. The star guard dropped 18 points on 23 percent shooting. He made up for his shooting with a near-triple-double by dishing out 12 assists and coming down with nine rebounds.

Beasley and the Pistons backed up the talk as they won 106-97. Five games later, Harden did his thing and certainly earned bragging rights.

After shooting 58 percent from the field and knocking down 8-11 shots from the free-throw line, Harden produced 50 points for LA as they defeated the Pistons 123-115.

Beasley’s notifications lit up after the loss as fans wanted to let the veteran sharpshooter hear it after he called Harden an easy player to guard in the league.

Harden gets the last laugh in the situation since the March 5 matchup between Detroit and LA will be the last this season. Beasley will have to wait until the 2025-2026 run to get his chance to get back at Harden on the court.

Whether he'll be with the Pistons or not is a different story. Beasley is set to hit the free agency market in the offseason.