James Harden had 30 points (18 on 6 3-pointers) and 10 assists, and the LA Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 149-144 for their fourth straight win.
Kawhi Leonard’s putback put the Clippers ahead for good with 4:52 left in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks got within 147-144 on Bogdan Bogdanović’s corner 3-pointer with 26 seconds to play, but Harden answered with 2 free throws, and the Hawks got no closer.
During clutch time, the Clippers outscored the Hawks 18-2. Leonard scored 8 of the Clippers’ 18 on 3 for 4 shooting and 1 for 1 at the line. Late in the fourth quarter, Russell Westbrook had 2 steals, and the Clippers scored 4 points off them.
Leonard scored 36 points on 13 for 20 shooting. The Clippers had 2 30-point scorers.
For the Hawks, De'Andre Hunter scored 27 points (11 in the third quarter) on 10 for 12 shooting off the bench, and Trae Young added 25 points and 12 assists. Dejounte Murray had 21 points and 7 assists. Murray scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. The Hawks had 3 20-point scorers.
The Clippers shot 58.4% from the field and 60.0% from 3 to the Hawks’ 53.7% and 51.3%. The Clippers made 21 3-pointers, 6 of them by Harden and 5 by Leonard. The Hawks made 20 3-pointers, 4 of them by Bogdanović. They forced 8 turnovers, about 6 fewer than usual for this many possessions. The Clippers’ starters outscored the Hawks 55-45 in 19 minutes together.