Kendrick Perkins Reacts to James Harden, Kenny Atkinson Exchange

James Harden and Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson exchanged words on the sideline late in the second quarter Wednesday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder up 55-33 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at the free-throw line.

Harden had just turned the ball over. He was lined up along the lane for the free throws, with Atkinson on the sideline behind him.

On Thursday afternoon, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins put the exchange on Harden in a clip posted to X.

“See, James Harden, he’s the type of player that’ll get a coach fired,” Perkins said.

Perkins and Harden were Thunder teammates for parts of two seasons, including the 2011-12 team that reached the NBA Finals. Oklahoma City drafted Harden third overall in 2009 and traded him to the Houston Rockets before the 2012-13 season. Perkins later finished his playing career with two stints in Cleveland, in 2015 and 2018.

After Cleveland’s second-round exit in May 2025, Perkins went after Donovan Mitchell over J.B. Bickerstaff’s firing.

“Donovan Mitchell, you got a coach fired,” Perkins explained. “You got J.B. Bickerstaff fired. This is a fact. You had no communication with that man while he was there. You didn’t like him, right? Soon as he got fired, you got signed to a contract extension, right? You extended with the Cavs.”

Atkinson replaced Bickerstaff in 2024 and is now in his third season in Cleveland.

Oklahoma City won 124-116 at Paycom Center, two days after beating Cleveland 117-112 at Rocket Arena.

Atkinson saw the same thing happen in the 114-111 loss at Atlanta on Oct. 29.

“You can’t come in on a road, especially against a really good team, and five turnovers, I think,” Atkinson said. “I think four of them were live ball. And then I think we were two for nine from three in that first quarter. They go six for ten. So the combination of turnovers, make or miss league, that’s how the big separation happened. Give the guys a lot of credit for fighting back, keeping our composure.”

The Thunder were up 50-25 by the time Jared McCain scored at the rim with 6:27 to play in the half. Twice in that quarter, rookie Bennett Stirtz picked Harden’s pocket. The first one ended in a Stirtz layup for a 52-30 lead.

Two of Harden’s step-back 3s fell before halftime. With 18.6 seconds left in the half, he found Evan Mobley for a 3, and the Cavaliers went in trailing 60-44.

Then came a 9-0 Cleveland run to open the third. Harden had seven of those points: two from the line, a floater, and a step-back 3.

He finished with 19 points and 9 rebounds on 5-of-16 shooting. In the first quarter, he had gone 0-for-4.

Eight games in, at 4-4, Harden wants Cleveland figuring it out soon.

“Consistency is key,” Harden said. “Wherever we can find that consistency throughout the course of the year, it’s going to help us win a lot of games. We have shown steps of growth and flashes of being really really good. We’re just inconsistent.”

Entering Wednesday, Harden was averaging 6.3 assists and 3.0 turnovers per game.

The comeback was not enough for him.

“You get down double digits on the road against a really good team, it’s difficult,” Harden explained. “Didn’t come out with the thrust we needed. Fought back but it wasn’t enough. Gotta get off to better starts and sustain it for a whole game.”

In June, Harden declined a $42.3 million player option for this season. The three-year, $97 million deal he signed to stay in Cleveland carries a player option for 2028-29 and a trade kicker, and the Cavaliers made it official Sept. 8.