Another Game 7, another James Harden disasterclass.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets, 120-101, for an underwhelming finish to an epic first-round series.
It was particularly rough for Harden, who repeated his history of awful Game 7s.
Harden scored seven points, his fewest ever in a Game 7, on 2-of-8 shooting (1-of-4 on threes). His 13 assists saved him from a truly horrid box score, but that baker’s dozen can’t mask the stench of his putrid performance.
It harkened back to 2023’s 14-point East semifinals loss to the Celtics, when Harden was with the Sixers, or a 2021 East semis loss to the Bucks as a Brooklyn Net.
In seven career Game 7s, Harden is 3-4, with his last win coming in the 2020s Disney bubble with the Rockets. In those seven games, Harden has averaged 19.3 points on 35.5 percent shooting, including 22.4 percent from beyond the arc, with 7.9 assists and four turnovers per game.
Harden was a facilitator for the Clippers, taking his fewest shot attempts in his sordid Game 7 history. Considering his rough shooting numbers on his limited attempts, that may have been for the best. But for a player who doesn’t offer much on the defensive end, Harden’s disappearing act on offense in his team’s most important games has made him a net-negative in those moments.
Harden, who turns 36 in August, has a June 29 deadline to decline his $36.3 million player option. With his diminishing on-court returns, the Clippers might be better off if he did.
