Harden exploded to help the Clippers beat the Lakers in the Los Angeles derby and win four consecutive victories

On January 21, the first Los Angeles derby of the season kicked off today. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 116-102, achieving four consecutive victories. In this highly anticipated contest, James reached another milestone in his career, but failed to lead the Lakers to victory. Harden performed well and dominated the game with comprehensive data, laying the foundation for the Clippers to win this crucial victory .

At the beginning of the game, the two sides entered the offensive mode, and the score went back and forth. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers and the Clippers were still tied. Entering the second quarter, the Lakers' offensive rhythm suddenly lost power, and Harden quickly seized the opportunity and led the Clippers to a 19-4 offensive climax, instantly widening the score difference to 15 points. Harden was calm and at ease on the court, and with accurate passes and decisive shots, he showed his organizational talent and scoring ability.

After the break, the Clippers maintained their strong momentum, relying on excellent shooting and solid defense to expand their lead to 26 points. Although the Lakers made adjustments later, James and Davis led the team to narrow the gap to 11 points, but they failed to continue the momentum of the counterattack.

In the crucial fourth quarter, Harden and Zubac became the Clippers' victory terminators. The two contributed 10 points together at the critical moment, completely extinguishing the Lakers' hope of a comeback. The Clippers once again exerted their strength and finally secured the victory.

James scored 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in this game, showing an all-around performance. However, the Lakers' overall offense lacked coherence, and they fell into a scoring drought many times, failing to effectively narrow the gap. Davis scored 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Hachimura came off the bench and scored 19 points, becoming the highlight of the Lakers bench.

Lakers player statistics

James 25 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, Hachimura 19 points, 1 assist, 7 rebounds, Davis 16 points, 3 assists, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, Reeves 14 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, Christie 10 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, Knecht 10 points, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, Hayes 4 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, Vincent 4 points, 1 assist, Finney-Smith 3 assists, 1 rebound, Kroc 1 rebound

Clippers player statistics

Powell 22 points, 1 assist, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, Harden 21 points, 12 assists, 4 rebounds, Zubac 21 points, 3 assists, 19 rebounds, 3 blocks, Leonard 19 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, Derrick Jones 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, Kevin Porter Jr. 8 points, 3 assists, Coffey 6 points, 1 assist, Batum 6 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, Bamba 3 points, 2 rebounds, Christie 1 point, Dunn 2 assists, 1 rebound

This Los Angeles derby showed the Clippers' dominance on both offense and defense. Harden's performance proved that he is still one of the most threatening offensive organizers in the league. Although the Lakers tried their best, their overall performance was not stable enough. In the next game, the Lakers need to adjust their strategy and find offensive continuity to meet new challenges.