On Monday evening, the Los Angeles Clippers dropped to 3-7 on the young 2025-26 NBA season following a tight home loss against the Atlanta Hawks.
James Harden was mostly excellent in this one, registering a 35-point triple-double. However, the Clippers ultimately fell victim to a hot shooting night from Hawks reserve Vit Krejci, who scored 28 points and hit eight three-pointers.
Late in the game, the Clippers had a chance to tie things up off an Atlanta turnover. Harden launched a three-pointer from the logo despite there still being 15 seconds left on the clock. He missed, and the Hawks grabbed the rebound, leaving Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in disbelief at the questionable shot selection.
The Clippers earned another opportunity to tie the game after the Hawks missed two free throws. Harden passed the ball down the court to Nic Batum, but Batum had the ball knocked away by Krejci. Hawks big man Mo Gueye secured the loose ball and launched it down the court as the buzzer sounded, sealing a tough loss for the Clippers.
The loss leaves the Los Angeles Clippers at 3-7 early in the season, despite Harden continuing to play at an All-Star level night after night. Kawhi Leonard has been out of the lineup for over a week with no return date announced, and Bradley Beal was also sidelined against Atlanta.
Even with those injuries, the Clippers and their fans were likely expecting a much better start, especially considering Los Angeles went to seven games with the Denver Nuggets in last year’s playoffs.
The Clippers will get their first shot at the Nuggets this season on Wednesday evening when the two teams meet in Los Angeles. That game is slated to tip off at 10:30 PM ET from the Intuit Dome.
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-james-hardens-brain-fart-hawks-leaves-steve-ballmer-in-disbelief
