Two of the NBA’s best long-range shooters will face off on Monday when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors in Inglewood, California.
The Clippers’ James Harden moved into second place on the all-time 3-pointers made list after hitting one in the first quarter of Sunday’s 116-105 win over the Utah Jazz, which ended a three-game road losing streak.
Harden’s first of two made 3-pointers in the game brought his career total to 2,974, passing Ray Allen for second place. The all-time leader is the Warriors’ Stephen Curry, who has a huge lead with 3,782 made 3-pointers.
“I’m one of the most confident guys we have in this league, but no, I probably won’t catch Steph, and I don’t think anybody will, honestly,” Harden said with a laugh. “I don’t know man. He can shoot the s— out of the ball.”
For Harden to put on a shooting display on Monday, he’ll need to improve from his 2-of-8 shooting performance against the Jazz, where he still finished with 20 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, and no turnovers as the point guard.
Ivica Zubac scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Norman Powell added 19 points, as Los Angeles won its fourth straight home game after a rough start in their new arena.
The Clippers led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, though the Jazz made a late push, cutting the lead to single digits with just over four minutes left. Los Angeles finished the game with only nine turnovers.
“Taking care of the basketball was huge,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “The ball was moving, the ball was hopping, and we made the right play.”
The Warriors are coming off a three-game win streak and have won eight of their last nine games, including a 123-118 victory at home against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
The game was marked by a controversial moment when Draymond Green of the Warriors intentionally tripped the Grizzlies’ Zach Edey. The incident was only later upgraded to a Flagrant 1 foul. Green was also ejected after picking up two technical fouls late in the game, with Golden State coach Steve Kerr also getting a technical foul in the closing moments.
“I’m not going to go into the officiating,” Kerr said. “I lose my mind sometimes. I’m really competitive. I’m not proud when I go overboard, and I probably went overboard. I just didn’t like the way the game unfolded in the second half. I’ll leave it at that.”
Curry was limited to 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range in the victory, adding eight rebounds. He didn’t make his first basket until late in the second quarter after taking just one shot in the opening period.
Buddy Hield led the Warriors with 18 points off the bench and has been averaging 17.7 points per game this season in his first year with Golden State. The Warriors’ bench contributed 67 points in the win.
