James Harden exudes swagger after erupting with 40-point game vs Giannis Antetokounmpo's Bucks: "Watch your mouth"

James Harden is a prolific offensive weapon in the eyes of his admirers but reportedly an unreliable postseason option in the minds of critics. Though these two camps might not agree on how The Beard should ultimately be remembered, it would be hard for anyone to deny that he's got style and, for that matter, a sense of humor.

After Harden dropped a 40-piece performance in the Los Angeles Clippers' 127-117 win over the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, he was asked by Clippers beat writer Joey Linn about his second-half performance. The interaction between Harden and Linn took a slight detour thanks to some unplanned wordplay:

In a clip uploaded by Linn on X, the reporter commented about Harden "reminding people that you can score at a very high level," just like the former MVP did during the last 24 minutes against the Bucks. Linn then asks Harden about "the most fun part," which prompted the Clippers guard to clarify what the reporter was talking about.

Harden asks, "Scoring?" Linn responds with, "Exploding like that, I should say." Right away, Harden says, "Pause."

At this point, the reporter cracked up as his interviewee maintained a straight face. While Linn struggled to contain his laughter (presumably because of "scoring" and "exploding" innuendos that Harden was hinting at), Harden gave a serious answer:

"Just the feeling when the ball goes in the basket consistently," he said. "The swag goes to another level."

At the end of the clip posted by Linn, Harden raised his eyebrow at the reporter and expressed mock disgust:

"Watch your mouth," he cautions Linn.

Had the Clippers lost this home game, Harden might not have been in a joking mood. Since the Clips secured the win, The Beard has yet another viral clip in the making.

"Somebody tell Joey Linn what CBFW means"

Earlier this month, Harden and Linn had a similarly hilarious exchange, one that involved a shiny prop.

After the Clippers defeated the Miami Heat 109-98 on Jan. 13, Linn asked Harden what it felt like to contribute in different ways to his team's success. After initially responding that it was an "unexplainable" feeling, Harden pointed to his chain, which bore the letters CBFW:

"Figure out what that means," Harden told Linn.

The reporter went on to post a clip of his exchange with Harden, who quote-posted the clip with a request for his followers on X:

"somebody tell Joey Linn what 'CBFW' means, thank you!" Tweeted Harden.

As netizens kindly notified Linn, CBFW stands for "can't be f***ed* with" in street parlance. From the looks of it, Linn has plenty more to learn from Harden as the season progresses.