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James Harden went out of his mind for a second in the LA Clippers' win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. He contested Kawhi Leonard's shot from beyond the arc, which has NBA fans in splits. It was one of the most bizarre plays of the season and probably of the last decade as well.
The Clippers were up by 21 points with less than five minutes left in the third quarter when Harden drove to the basket. He found Leonard open in the left corner 3-point area and passed him the ball for what could have been an easy bucket.
However, the former MVP inexplicably contested his own teammate's shot, and it was very effective. Leonard flunked the shot and raised his arms in the air in disbelief. Zubac kept the ball alive and tapped it back to Harden, who drove to the basket again and passed it to Amir Coffey for the wide-open 3-point shot.
Coffey made the shot quite possibly because Harden didn't try to block it. The Clippers ended up winning 116-103 to keep the New Orleans Pelicans at bay in the standings.
Just like Kawhi Leonard, a lot of NBA fans were flabbergasted by James Harden's block attempt on his teammate.
The former MVP was too comfortable possibly due to the lead, but it could have been costly had the Portland Trail Blazers pulled off the fourth quarter comeback. One fan wrote:
"What crazy is this is the best defense he's played in years."
One fan jokingly tried to explain Harden's actions:
"He was just trying to high 5 him but timed it too early."
Another fan claimed that Harden was trying to prevent Leonard from ruining people's bets:
"Need to ban sports betting, you know Harden forgot he had the under on Kawhi made 3's, then remembered right after he passed."
Here are some of the best memes on X about Harden's contest on Leonard:
Also Read: Kawhi Leonard makes striking Russell Westbrook admission amid Clippers' slump
James Harden explains why he tried to block Kawhi Leonard
In his postgame interview, James Harden was asked why he tried to block Kawhi Leonard in the third quarter. He explained that he was just trying to bring out the laughs to the LA Clippers after the abysmal run they've had since the All-Star break.
"Got to bring some excitement to this team," Harden said. "I think these last few weeks have been a fog for us and I think every team goes through it.
"So I think it's just me trying to create a great energy, a great vibe. Maybe it would've been better if he made the shot, gives us something to laugh about." [H/T NBC Los Angeles]
Also Read: First look at James Harden's latest Adidas Vol 8 "Dragon Boat Festival"
Guess the Lakers players!
