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“We can come all the way back” - James Harden believes the Clippers’ season is far from over
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- “We can come all the way back” - James Harden believes the Clippers’ season is far from over
A month ago, the Los Angeles Clippers were getting tormented by Cam Spencer and the Memphis Grizzlies . In the following game, they would get blown out by the Oklahoma City Thunder and drop to a disastrous 6-21 record, with fans and experts pretty much shoveling dirt on the team's hopes of a postseason appearance and urging the front office to blow the team up.
With a dismal record, a myriad of injuries to starters and the PR nightmare that was the Chris Paul exit, the Clippers were seemingly well on their way to having a textbook definition of "a season from hell".
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And then, just before Christmas, something appeared to flip.
First, the Clippers beat the Lakers , who were without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves . With the Lakers being shorthanded, it was easy to brush this win off.
Then, on Christmas Eve, the Clippers won again, this time blowing out a generally healthy Houston Rockets . They continued to win against quality opponents like the Portland Trail Blazers and the Detroit Pistons .
Since their 6-21 start, the Clippers are 11-2 and now 17-23. As of writing, they're tied in the standings with the tenth-seeded Grizzlies and are just seven games behind the sixth-seeded Rockets.
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With about 40 games left in the regular season, a spot in the postseason – which was seemingly unattainable a month ago – is very much in play. And through it all, even when everyone and their mother had written the Clippers off, All-Star point guard James Harden had no doubt the Clippers could turn things around.
The confidence is still there
While he admitted the loss was pretty rough to deal with, Harden maintains that his confidence never wavered.
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"Some teams, when it gets that bad, they just let the wheels fall off. I had interviews where people were asking me, 'How do you find confidence?' and I'm like, 'The confidence is there. The losses are frustrating, but the confidence is still there.'" Harden told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
Over the Clippers' 13-game surge, Harden is putting up 24.8 points and 7.8 assists. Last week, the 11-time All-Star added another milestone, passing Shaquille O'Neal for ninth in the NBA's all-time scoring list.
Having been the Clippers' ironman all throughout this season and even much of the previous one, seeing the Clippers finally get rolling is surely satisfying for The Beard.
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But while the Clippers have found some success, Harden knows that there's still a long way to go if the goal is to get back to .500 and potentially break into the playoffs.
"I think finding little tweaks and being a lot better defensively is what really helped us out. Now we got to take one game at a time, just like when we were in the hole," Harden added. "We can come all the way back, but we have to chip away, chip away and really build some momentum going into the All-Star break."
Related: James Harden reflects on the two biggest "what if" moments in his career
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"That's the Kawhi we need"
And while Harden has been the Clippers' most dependable player all season, All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard has been, without a doubt, the driving force during the team's recent string of wins.
In their last 13 games, Leonard, who missed a big chunk of games during the earlier part of the season, has been averaging a league-best 32.7 points along with 6.9 boards and 2.6 steals per game, a level of play that head coach Ty Lue has called Leonard's playoff mode.
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Harden is, without a doubt, one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history. Still, the former league MVP knows that, alongside Leonard, he's best suited to be a facilitator, especially at this stage of their careers.
"Once I see him flip the switch, it was like, 'OK, yeah, it's time to go. That's the Kawhi we need," said Harden. "My job is just facilitate, get him going, get us going. So it's just been a complete 180."
With Harden and Leonard, the Clippers have two All-Star celiber players. They also have the talent to compete with the best in the league. If they want to legitimately make a late-season playoff push, they're gonna have to be able to put it together for the last half of the season.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
