In his first full season since being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers, James Harden once again finds himself in the playoffs. Ahead of a pivotal Game 3 showdown with the Denver Nuggets, he shined a light on the noteworthy this matchup is.
Aside from how competitive this series has been, Thursday’s matchup is big for a different reason. It will mark the first home playoff game in the history of the Intuit Dome. Following a nail-biting in Game 2, the Clippers will attempt to keep the momentum rolling on their home floor.
On Thursday afternoon, Harden took to social media to shine a light on the first postseason game of the venue’s history. At this stage of his career, he is grateful to still have firsts.
how many times do you get a first? first play off game @intuitdome tonight let’s get it! #Uno pic.twitter.com/mR0KKE6MXe
— James Harden (@JHarden13) April 24, 2025
Through the opening games of these playoffs, Nuggets vs Clippers has by far been one of the best series. Game 1 needed overtime to decide a winner, with Denver walking away victorious. Kawhi Leonard then put together a dominant performance in Game 2 to get LA on the board.
Harden has built a reputation for being an up-and-down performer in the playoffs but has done well this far against the Nuggets. He came out of the gates hot, notching 32 points and 11 assists in Game 1. The former MVP then followed that up with 18 points and seven assists in Game 2.
Led by one of the game’s top talents in Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets aren’t a team who are going to go down quietly. Leonard has shown he can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but LA will still need production from Harden if they’re going to advance. He’ll look to provide a lift Thursday night as the Clippers attempt to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
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