The Los Angeles Clippers are fighting to at least reach the play-in tournament and possibly make the NBA playoffs outright. On Friday, they scored a big 121-98 road win over the feisty Atlanta Hawks, which was their fifth victory in their last six games.
They now hold a 37-30 record, which puts them in eighth place in the Western Conference and 1.5 games behind the sixth-place Golden State Warriors.
In that game, James Harden had 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, eight rebounds and seven assists. He's now 12th all-time in career points in NBA history, as he moved past Hall of Fame power forward Elvin Hayes.
The NBA's official X (formerly known as Twitter) account gave Harden his flowers for his latest accomplishment.
"James Harden moves into 12th on the all-time scoring last as the LAClippers get the W on the road!" the league posted.
James Harden moves into 12th on the all-time scoring last as the @LAClippers get the W on the road!
Kawhi Leonard: 25 PTS, 6 REB, 5 STL
Ivica Zubac: 18 PTS (8-9 FGM), 6 REB pic.twitter.com/nVCCcNnug7
— NBA (@NBA) March 15, 2025
Harden's scoring numbers have fallen off in recent years from his peak years when he led the league in scoring average three straight times as a member of the Houston Rockets. But he remains a potent player, even if he isn't an efficient one.
This season, he's averaging 22.4 points and 8.7 assists a game, but he's shooting just 39.5% from the field and averaging 4.5 turnovers per game.
The Clippers have been dealing with some key players being in and out of their lineup due to injury, but Harden has now appeared in 64 of their 67 games. If they are to make the playoffs and do anything of note there, he will have to step into the Wayback Machine a bit and carry them for some substantial stretches the rest of the way.
Related: How Did Harden Disrespect Curry?
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This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 10:34 PM.