James Harden names a reason for loss in his Clippers debut / News - Basketnews.com

James Harden made his Los Angeles Clippers debut, scoring 17 points, and after the loss against the Knicks, Harden thought the Clippers were missing the rhythm offensively in 4th quarter.

Credit: AP/Scanpix Credit AP/Scanpix

James Harden made his Los Angeles Clippers debut, but despite a solid personal performance, his new team lost against the New York Knicks.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Mitchell Robinson Points 13 Accuracy 6-10 Rebounds 15 Assists 0

In a 97-111 loss, Harden finished the game with 17 points (4/5 2PT, 2/4 3PT, 3/3 FT), 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers in 31 minutes of play.

"Unlimited possibilities," Harden said about playing alongside Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook.

"We had solid three quarters. We couldn't really catch a rhythm offensively. We missed a lot of easy shots that we're gonna make. This game came down to one quarter, that fourth quarter. We gave [the Knicks] opportunities. Turnovers and offense rebounds. That simple," Harden named the reasons behind the loss.

For Harden, it was his first game of the season, as he missed the pre-season with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a desire to be traded. The 34-year-old admitted he felt a little bit rusty on the court.

"It felt kind of weird out there, just not really having a pre-season game or an opportunity to participate in a full training camp, none of that. It was just out there basically winging it, but I tried to go off my basketball instincts," Harden said.

Meanwhile, Clippers head coach Tyronne Lue believes it will take a little bit of time for Harden and the rest of the team to gel with each other.

"So just because you acquire a guy like James Harden doesn't mean you're automatically going to win," Lue said before the Knicks game. "You've got to put the work in, and you've got to be ready to sacrifice."

"It's not going to happen overnight, and so guys have to sacrifice minutes, shots, touches. If they do that, we can be a really good team, and so tonight's going to be the start of it," Lue added.

James Harden highlights

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