Without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers had to rely on their other leaders to hold the bar in Sacramento on Tuesday. Paul George delivered a decent performance (18 points), although limited to 12 shots. James Harden got through it. The Los Angeles leader had one of his worst matches of his season (6 points to 1/7 shooting, 8 assists but 5 lost balls), at the heart of a difficult period for him, particularly in scoring. Without the contribution of their playing master, the visitors sometimes seemed completely lost.
The Kings had prepared their move well. Mike Brown opposed James Harden with a simple, but very effective plan: systematically put pressure on him on the pick-and-rolls that he loves.
The 2018 MVP spent his match with two defenders on the line, forcing him to get rid of the ball. “ They were 'trapping' me“, explained a less talkative James Harden after the meeting. “ I have to find ways to be aggressive. They did a really good job dominating us on pick-and-rolls. »
James Harden and the Clippers without alternatives
From the first minute, Domantas Sabonis set the tone, staying close to James Harden after a screen, before stealing his pass on the ground towards Ivica Zubac. Hampered from dictating the game, the former Sixer was unable to distribute his usual “pocket pass”, only to find his inside in the interval between the two defenders in a two-man take.
“ Our interiors were very good in being aggressive on pick-and-rolls, contesting with their arms in the air to put them under pressure » rejoiced Mike Brown, who saw Domantas Sabonis but also Trey Lyles and Alex Len steal a ball from James Harden. “ When you get double-crossed over and over again, it takes you out of your game. We took away their pocket passes, which James is very good at. Then our defense was fantastic on assists coming from the off-ball side. »
Asked Mike Brown about their PnR defense tonight, specifically on Harden:
“We took away the pocket. James is really good at making that pocket pass and then out weakside defense was fantastic.” https://t.co/e1mmcuDwSC pic.twitter.com/Fs7HXiew7g
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) April 3, 2024
The Clippers were unable to adapt, getting bogged down in their patterns until being 26 points behind at the start of the fourth quarter. “ This is how opponents face James » said coach Tyronn Lue. “ They double-teamed him all night, so he couldn't get where he wanted on pick-and-roll, and get his shots. Maybe I could have done a better job giving it more insulation. They showed they didn't want to let him play. We need to execute better, do a better job on blitzes (two-handed grip on which the inside mounts on the ball carrier). When you are in situations like this, you have to give the ball to the player who cuts towards the circle and you have a 4-on-3 to play. » « We just have to continue to emphasize how we play in these kinds of situations, and to read the game better » summarized Paul George.
12 games in a row under 20 points
Without rhythm or confidence, James Harden went through the match like a lost soul, cruelly lacking offensive edge. And this is anything but a first in recent weeks.
Two days earlier, he attempted only three shots in more than 36 minutes in Charlotte. Here he is now on a series of twelve games without reaching the 20 points scored, the tenth game of his season below 10 points, unheard of for the former triple top scorer in the NBA since his second pro season at the Thunder, in 2011!
Asked how to get his All-Star teammate more involved, Paul George simply said “I'm not the coach, next question. »
And when his ability to initiate the play on the pick-and-roll is also cut off, like against the Kings, James Harden's influence drops drastically. In these 12 games where he scored less than 20 points, Los Angeles was unable to do better than a balanced record, with six victories including two against the Blazers, one against the Hornets, and even a narrow victory against the Sixers. without Joel Embiid. The six defeats all came against teams qualified for the playoffs, and by an average gap of 14.5 points…
