The Clippers may want former president Barack Obama to attend more games.
He was in Los Angeles Thursday night to watch the Clippers take on the red-hot Detroit Pistons, but it turns out the guy who was hot was James Harden — at age 35, he dropped 50 on Detroit, sparking the Clippers to a 123-115 win.
JAMES HARDEN DROPS 50 IN THE CLIPPERS' WIN ‼️
— NBA (@NBA) March 6, 2025
🧔 50 PTS
🧔 4 REB
🧔 5 AST
🧔 6 3PM
His 24th 50-PT game leaves him 1 behind Kobe Bryant for 3rd all-time! pic.twitter.com/2RagpTcy4N
“I wanted my pic with Presi after the game, but he had left. I guess he wanted to beat traffic,” Harden joked after the game. “But, we’ve got a pretty cool relationship, we’ve met a few times. So, it’s pretty cool to see him at the game. It’s the reason why I played so well.”
What might have been most impressive about Harden’s effort is that, at age 35, he did this on the second night of a back-to-back — and on a night Kawhi Leonard and Norman Powell were out. The night before, Harden played 37 minutes and scored 21 points against the Suns.
“I can do it, it’s not my first time,” Harden said, and it isn’t it was his 24th 50-point game. “For someone who’s done it probably their first time takes a lot of energy, but for me it’s just understanding the game. Seeing the game within the game.”
Detroit felt that the way the game was called opened the door for Harden.
“I mean, again, give him a ton of credit, but if you’re not allowed to put your body on him legally, and he’s allowed to shoot 20 free throws you’re not going to be able to guard it,” Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff said. “You know what I mean? He’s an elite offensive weapon who can score in a bunch of ways. But when he’s allowed to get to the free throw line 20 times it just makes your job extremely difficult.”
It was a key late-season win for the Clippers — just 1.5 games separates the Warriors at the No. 6 seed and the Kings with the No. 9 seed in the West. It’s going to be tight down to the wire and every win is going to matter.
