Everywhere, James Harden tried to go, there was Christian Braun on his way. Therefore, it appreciates the personal exploration report sacrificed by former Harden teammate and the sixth man of Denver Nuggets, Russell Westbrook. It passed many useful tips for Braun to protect the star of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Straight covered by Braun all night, Harden was only 2 of 8 from the floor and scored seven points in the defeat of the 120-101 season of the clippers against the Nuggets on Saturday in game 7 of his first round playoff series.
Harden has lost a 7 game with four different teams: The Houston Rockets (2018), Brooklyn Nets (2021), Philadelphia 76ers (2023) and now the clippers. In those four losses, he averaged 17.5 points per game while fired 33.8% (22 of 65) from the floor.
His teams have gone 3-4 in game 7 through his career.
This year’s confrontation with the Nuggets was a sporadic series for Harden, since it fired 43.6%. After leaving for 32 points in game 1, he averaged only 16.5 points per game the rest of the series.
“James is a difficult cover,” said Westbrook, who was a teammate with Harden last season. “Christian did a good job trying to hinder the game. I thought he did an excellent job and has been doing it all year.”
Braun diverted the credit. He said he was able to play a stricter defense in Harden because or players like Aaron Gordon behind him. They were waiting there, in case Harden separated.
“I couldn’t pick it up and press it all the game if I didn’t have the boys behind me that they were flying,” Braun said.
Braun carefully listed Westbrook’s words of wisdom.
“He is playing against James. He has played with James, so hey, the boy knows his game,” Braun said. “He told me for me what it seems to give, when to give Heth, when to do this, when to force, when it goes well, this is what is DOE. I learned that in the course of this series. To change, they kept me in it all night.”
Braun was also so great on the offensive side. He had 21 points, including the triple in game 7. But it was his defense that praised the most.
“Hey, he did what he was doing his leg,” said Nuggets’s interim coach David Adelman. “We tried to be a bit more conservative once he crossed the half court in the coverage. But then it was in Christian to pass the screens and return in front of him, to maintain our defense.”
For the clippers coach, Tyronn Lue, it was a hard 48th birthday. His team was lost by two digits in the middle of the time and was left behind by 35 points in the fourth quarter.
“Hard loss. Do not play our best game in a situation like this, many emotions,” said Lue. “I told the boys to bring him, a last hug.”
They can comfort in the fact that Kawhi Leonard goes to the low season as healthy as the leg in a long time. He did not make his debut in the season until January 4 due to problems with his right knee repaired in surgical. Harden kept things until Leonard’s return, who applauded.
The clippers entered the postseason as the most popular team in the League, after having won 18 or 21 years, and was already similar to disappointment.
“Those two together during a whole season, I think it will be tremendous,” said Lue.
Harden, thought, turns 36 in August and Leonard turns 34 next month. Is there a level of breath that clippers can continue to build around them?
“I guess we are still playing at a high level in a certain sense,” Leonard said. “It’s a difficult question to answer right now.”
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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