Harden's late free-throw heroics and a costly Wizards' blunder sealed Washington's seventh straight loss in a nail-biting MLK Day thriller.
With 5.9 seconds to go, the Wizards sent James Harden to a place he lived all night. With a two-point lead for the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden found himself shooting his 17th and 18th free throw attempts of the night. Needing two to ice the game, Harden, a nearly 90% foul shooter, missed both.
Washington had its chance, until it didn't. Nobody blocked out Harden, allowing him to obtain his own miss before he was once again fouled. Harden didn't make the same mistake twice and iced the game.
A crucial late miscue by Washington saw it squander a chance to snap its six-game skid. In a thrilling back-and-forth affair on Martin Luther King Day, the Wizards fell to the Clippers, 110-106. The Wizards have dropped seven in a row after a 12-game stretch where they won seven.
Alex Sarr scored 28 points, but his efforts weren't enough to overcome Washington's 19 turnovers, which led to 21 Los Angeles points. Harden went to the free-throw line for 20 attempts --- two less than Washington shot as a team. He finished with 36 points on 18/20 efficiency from the charity stripe.
Tre Johnson and Sarr scored Washington's first nine points of the game. The two operated excellently in transition. The Wizards scored eight fastbreak points in the game's first 5 minutes. Los Angeles looked slow getting back, so Washington took advantage and found open looks from the outside.
Washington and Los Angeles traded buckets early in the second quarter. Washington got solid defensive minutes off the bench from Jamir Watkins, who has been the Wizards' defensive guru at times this year.
Both teams slowed the tempo on offense throughout the quarter, struggling to find rhythm. James Harden began to take control for the Clippers, consistently finding mismatches on dribble drives.
Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington closed the half strong for the Wizards.
Washington got rolling with a massive 20-6 run to open the second half. Sarr reached 22 points, and George began to heat up. Washington gained the lead and grew it to as much as 10.
Sarr looked explosive throughout the night. An impressive aspect of his game is his development taking it to the hole off the bounce and finishing at the rim.
Johnson kept his efficiency up in the third with a runner and a deep triple to put the Wizards up six. Los Angeles consistently chipped away at the lead the entire third quarter, never letting Washington blow it open.
A 10-0 run by the Clippers late in the third propelled them back in front. George knocked in a three with 18 seconds left, sending Washington ahead by two entering the final frame. The lead was nearly five, but George’s running three-pointer at the buzzer was just a tad late.
The Clippers re-gained the lead early in the fourth after two key Wizards turnovers led to easy buckets in transition. The Clippers reached 21 points off turnovers to this point.
Washington turned it over on five of six possessions before Brian Keefe called time.
Los Angeles held a slight lead most of the fourth. A pair of free throws and a bucket from Sarr put Washington within one with under four to play.
After a wild sequence with two minutes to play, Carrington knocked in a step-back three to tie the game at 103. After a clutch bucket from Harden, Middleton drew contact on a three and knocked down all of them from the line, tying the game with 57 seconds left.
Harden knocked in two more free throws before Washington’s critical mistake of not blocking him out at the line, which led to his two free throws to ice the game.