On Monday, James Harden and the LA Clippers have their second-to-last preseason game. Seeing that he is not on the injury report, the former MVP is expected to be in the lineup.
Gearing up for his first full season with the Clippers, Harden has appeared in every preseason game thus far. Ty Lue has been mindful of his workload though, making sure the veteran guard isn't playing big minutes. Harden has played around 17 to 18 minutes each game, which should be the case again against the Dallas Mavericks.
As the primary playmaker, James Harden must get reps in preseason. With the team bringing in so many new pieces this summer, there are a lot of players he needs to get acclimated with.
It's been around a year since Harden was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Clippers. He performed well for his new team, resulting in him landing an extension in free agency. However, it will be a much different situation this time around.
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LA is down an All-Star this year after Paul George opted to depart in free agency. Now, as one of the two remaining stars on the roster, Harden will be called upon to lead the charge, especially because his running mate, Kawhi Leonard, has struggled to consistently stay in the lineup.
James Harden gets in on a Pokemon theme in the Clippers preseason game in Seattle
For the third year in a row, the LA Clippers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers for a preseason matchup in Seattle. The "Rain City Showcase" had a special theme this year, which James Harden decided to get in on.
One of the primary sponsors for this matchup was "The Pokemon Company." They had their logo on all the seats and even gave out masks of the iconic character Pikachu for fans to make. Among those to get their hands on one was the Clippers star guard.
While hanging out on the bench while the Clippers were going through warmups, James Harden decided to get in on theme. He put the mask together and wore it on his head leading up to tip-off against the Blazers.
This matchup went down to the wire, with the Clippers walking out with a 101-99 victory. Harden did a little bit of everything in the win, finishing with 14 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal.
With just two preseason games left, the Clippers have some time to finish preparing for the regular season. After Monday's meeting with the Mavericks, they have their preseason finale against the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
Things will officially tip off for the Clippers on October 23rd when they take on the Phoenix Suns.
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