With less than a month to go in the NBA's regular season, the Los Angeles Clippers are trying to avoid having to go through the play-in tournament.
They have a four-game winning streak, but they're only in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 39-30 record and are one game behind the sixth-place Golden State Warriors, have have been red-hot over the last several weeks.
James Harden is one player who has been trying to ensure the team will make the playoffs outright. He had a message on Instagram for teammate Ivica Zubac, who has been playing excellent basketball lately.
"Zuno," Harden said. "‘More life big fella."
Zubac is having a career year by averaging 16.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. In the month of March, he has put up 21.5 points a game while shooting 65.1% from the field.
On March 4, he scored 35 points on 15-of-19 shooting versus the Phoenix Suns, and he's coming off a 28-point, 20-rebound effort in a win over the mighty Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.
Harden, meanwhile, is shooting just 39.6% from the field this season, but he remains a threat. His shooting efficiency is up a bit so far this month, and he's fifth in the league in assists average at 8.7 dimes per game.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 9:06 PM.