“Look at all those white hairs!” But I'm not old, I'm still in good shape. »
James Harden can have fun in the post-match interview. The Clippers playmaker has just produced a real demonstration against the Wizards, with 43 points at 13/22 including 7/11 from distance, plus 7 assists.
Above all, he did it in 32 minutes, with a first half of 31 points at 11/15 shooting and 5 assists. Enough to then be able to calmly manage the second half, and still sign his 102nd career game with more than 40 points, the 4th mark in history, behind Wilt Chamberlain (271), Michael Jordan (173) and Kobe Bryant (122).
This is the 29th time in his career that he has scored more than 30 points in a half, to take sole possession of the record in the category, leaving Kobe Bryant (28) behind him. Although it should be noted that “play-by-play” only arrived in 1996 in NBA stats and we cannot therefore have the figures by quarter-time and half-time for previous performances . Hence the absence of Wilt Chamberlain in this ranking…
The negative, but not yet toxic, spiral of the Wizards
In any case, for Bilal Coulibalyfirst defender on “The Beard”, the evening was a nightmare.
“He was trying to cause defensive changes, he was trying to put stepbacks” explains the Frenchman. “He put them on and so there’s not much you can do when that happens. »
The sophomore tried to direct his opponent towards his right hand, but James Harden managed to return to the left much too easily. Enough to plunge the Wizards into the depths of the Eastern Conference, and even the NBA, with this 13th consecutive defeat. For a current record of 2 victories for 15 defeats…
“It’s still very, very early, but facing such adversity at the start of the season stinks and it hurts”confides Corey Kispert. “And it's testing the culture that's in place…There's still a lot of positivity in the room and encouragement. Even though the situation is difficult, it is neither toxic nor unbearable. »
