Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden, left, shoots as Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James Harden scored a season-high 50 points and Ivica Zubac added 22 points and 11 rebounds as the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers celebrated their return home with a 123-115 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday in the NBA.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 23 points in his third start and 10th game for the Clippers, who were playing their first home game since Feb. 12. Los Angeles arrived back home after losing six of its past seven road games.
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Harden became the fifth Clippers player to score at least 50 points in a game in franchise history. Bob McAdoo accomplished the feat four times.
The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard, who was held out on the second night of a back-to-back. They also were without Derrick Jones Jr. (groin) and Norman Powell (hamstring), who was out for the seventh time in eight games.
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Cade Cunningham scored 37 points and dished 10 assists and Dennis Schroder added 21 points as the Pistons lost for just the second time in their last 12 games. Malik Beasley scored 14 points for Detroit.
READ: James Harden becomes 20th NBA player with 26,000 career points
In a back-and-forth second half, Los Angeles went on a 10-0 run to take a 107-99 lead with 5:19 remaining on a floater in the lane by Harden. The basket put Harden at the 40-point mark for the fourth time this season.
Harden matched his season high of 43 points with a step-back 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining for a 112-105 Los Angeles advantage. He set his season high on a bank shot with 3:13 left as the Clippers took a 114-108 lead.
Harden, who finished 14 of 24 from the floor and 6 of 13 from 3-point range in 38 minutes, was playing for the second consecutive night at age 35 after he also was on the floor for 38 minutes in a loss at Phoenix on Tuesday.
The Clippers took a 120-110 lead on a pair of free throws from Bogdanovic with 56.1 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Harden scored his 50th point on a free throw with 22.9 seconds left.
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Both teams shot over 50 percent in the first half, with the Clippers taking a 32-26 lead after one quarter and the Pistons rallying to tie the game 57-57 at halftime. Harden had 28 points at halftime for Los Angeles, while Cunningham and Schroder each had 15 for Detroit. –Field Level Media
