James Harden flipped a late eight-point Toronto lead into an overtime statement, dropping 31-10 to extend the Clippers’ win streak to five and keep their miracle playoff push rolling.
The Los Angeles Clippers are no longer the 6-21 disaster that opened the season. Behind a 31-point, 10-assist masterpiece from James Harden, they erased an eight-point deficit in the final 3:35, stunned the Toronto Raptors 121-117 in overtime, and rolled out of Scotiabank Arena with a fifth straight victory—their 12th in the last 14 games.
Harden’s Late-Game Heroics
With the Raptors up 109-101 and 3:35 remaining, Harden personally outscored Toronto 8-0 to close regulation. He drew fouls, dissected traps, and buried a cold-blooded pull-up jumper with 14 seconds left to knot the game. In overtime he opened with four perfect free throws and sealed it with another jumper after Scottie Barnes had cut the lead to one. Harden finished 10-27 from the field, 9-10 from the line, and logged 40 minutes—his heaviest workload since early December.
Clippers’ Supporting Cast Steps Up
Jordan Miller poured in a career-high 19 points off the bench, Ivica Zubac returned from a sprained left ankle to post 16 points and 14 rebounds, and rookie Cam Christie hit three triples for 16 points. Kris Dunn added 15 and hounded Barnes down the stretch, forcing two critical misses in overtime. The bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 46-27, the difference in a one-possession game.
Raptors’ Rare Collapse
Toronto entered Friday 19-1 when leading after three quarters; the loss drops them to 19-2. Scottie Barnes (24 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) and Brandon Ingram (19 pts) controlled the second half until the final four-minute freeze. The Raptors missed six straight shots as Harden took over, and Jamal Shead’s career-best 13 assists weren’t enough to offset zero field goals in OT. Missing Immanuel Quickley (back spasms) and RJ Barrett (ankle) for a second and fourth straight game respectively, Toronto’s depth finally cracked.
Playoff Math: Clippers Now in the Mix
At 18-23, LA sits just 1.5 games behind the 10-seed in the West. FiveThirtyEight’s playoff model jumped their postseason odds from 18 % to 34 % during this streak. The schedule ahead is soft: five of the next seven come against sub-.500 teams, including back-to-back games at Washington and Detroit next week. If Kawhi Leonard (sprained ankle) returns within 10 days, the Clippers could hit the All-Star break within striking distance of a play-in spot—an unthinkable scenario when they were 6-21 six weeks ago.
What the Fans Are Saying
- Trade Rumor Watch: With the Feb. 6 deadline looming, Clipper fans are split—half want to keep the streaking core, half want to flip P.J. Tucker’s expiring deal and a first-rounder for front-court insurance.
- Harden MVP Chatter: Social media exploded with “vintage Beard” clips; Harden is now averaging 27.8 pts, 8.4 ast in January, his best calendar month since 2020.
- Raptors Rebuild Debate: Toronto faithful fear the franchise may pivot to lottery odds if Quickley and Barrett remain out much longer.
Next Up
The Clippers visit Washington on Monday before a quick trip to Detroit. Toronto, meanwhile, opens a five-game western swing Sunday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers—where they’ll face a rested LeBron James and hope to have Quickley and Barrett back in the lineup.
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