James Harden scored 27 points and handed out nine assists to lift the Los Angeles Clippers to a 115-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at State Farm Arena.
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for Los Angeles, which improved to 6-16 in its first outing since parting ways with Chris Paul earlier in the day.
Harden set the tone early, taking 12 shots in the opening quarter and finishing 11 of 24 overall, including five made threes.
He did not attempt a free throw for the first time this season, a rare occurrence for one of the league’s most frequent visitors to the line.
Kawhi Leonard added 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, stabilizing the Clippers’ offense in stretches where Atlanta tried to push the pace.
Ivica Zubac dominated inside with 14 points and 17 rebounds, controlling the paint against a Hawks roster missing key frontline contributors.
Earlier Wednesday, the Clippers sent home Paul, who averaged 2.3 points across 16 games in what is expected to be his final NBA season.
The shift in rotation appeared to simplify Los Angeles’ ball movement, resulting in 29 assists and just 12 turnovers.
The Clippers led 55-41 at halftime after holding Atlanta to 38% shooting with 11 turnovers and only eight assists in the opening two quarters.
They extended the margin to 19 immediately after the break, capitalizing on Atlanta’s thin lineup and limited shot creation without Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis and Trae Young.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks with 21 points, while Dyson Daniels added 15 points and two steals.
Atlanta fell to 13-10 and never cut the margin inside 13 after halftime, struggling to generate consistent offense with two starters plus its leading scorer unavailable.
The Hawks’ bench provided a brief spark, highlighted by 11 points from rookie forward Asa Newell, but turnovers and rebounding gaps slowed any momentum.
Los Angeles won the rebounding battle 54-38 and outscored Atlanta 39-32 in the third quarter, where Harden and Leonard combined for 20 points.
Kobe Sanders and Kobe Brown added productive minutes off the Clippers’ bench, helping maintain spacing around Harden-led actions.
The Clippers, now 1-0 on their five-game road trip, head to Memphis on Friday looking to build on one of their most complete performances of the season.
Atlanta returns home to face the Denver Nuggets on Friday, aiming to reset once Johnson and Porzingis move closer to returning from injuries.
