Harden's historic 40-point triple-double powers Clippers to double-overtime win.
The Los Angeles Clippers broke their six-game losing streak on Friday night with a hard-fought 133-127 double overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
James Harden put together one of the best performances of his career, recording 41 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in 51 minutes of play.
After the win, Harden kept his message simple when asked about getting back in the win column.
"Just continue to fight man. Things haven't been going well for us, still going to be resilient, still going to fight," Harden said. "I just play to try and win games. You put the work in, and things happen like that."
Harden Makes NBA History
The triple-double was the 82nd of Harden's career and his eighth as a member of the Clippers, which is now the most in franchise history.
Even more impressive, at 36 years and 81 days old, Harden became the oldest player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double, passing Larry Bird. The performance also marked the first 40-point triple-double in Clippers franchise history.
Harden scored 23 points in the first half to help the Clippers build a lead, then took over in the overtime periods.
He hit two big three-pointers in the first overtime and scored four of his 10 overtime points in the second extra period, including two free throws and a driving basket that gave LA a 129-125 lead with 3:07 remaining.
Role Players Step Up in Big Win
While Harden led the way, the Clippers got huge help from their supporting cast. Ivica Zubac put together a season-high performance with 27 points and 11 rebounds, giving the Clippers a strong inside presence all night.
Off the bench, Bogdan Bogdanovic caught fire from three-point range, hitting five threes on his way to a season-high 21 points.
Derrick Jones Jr. also contributed 15 points and sealed the win with two free throws in the final minutes of double overtime.
The Clippers needed every bit of help they could get against a Mavericks team that refused to go away. D'Angelo Russell scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to spark a 17-6 run that sent the game to overtime.
Russell and Naji Marshall each scored 28 points to lead Dallas.
Where the Teams Stand
The win improves the Clippers to 4-8 on the season and 2-0 in NBA Cup play. More importantly, it ends a brutal stretch that saw LA lose six straight games since their last victory on Halloween.
The Clippers have been dealing with injuries all season, including the loss of Bradley Beal to a season-ending fractured hip.
For the Mavericks, the loss drops them to 3-10 on the season and 0-2 in the NBA Cup. Dallas has now lost three straight games and seven of their last eight.
The Mavericks were without key big men Anthony Davis and P.J. Washington Jr., which hurt them down the stretch.
The Clippers will look to build on this win when they travel to Boston on Sunday, while the Mavericks will try to bounce back against Portland in the finale of their four-game homestand.