James Harden reveals why he pushed Ty Lue to play him 49 minutes in Clippers hard-fought OT win

Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden spoke about his involvement in the game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, where he played 49 minutes. The former MVP revealed why he pushed head coach Ty Lue to keep him on the court, emphasizing the importance of securing a win before the All-Star break.

Facing each other for the fourth time this season, the Clippers and Jazz delivered an entertaining match on Feb. 13. Harden, who clocked in almost 50 minutes, explained his deicison:

"I told Ty Lue don’t take me out the game. This was a must win for us. We needed to go into the break with some swagger," Harden expressed, according to Legion Hoops on X (formerly Twitter).

This was the Clippers' last fixture before the All-Star break, which they now enter with a three-game winning streak. The LA team is sixth in the Western Conference standings and hopes to pick up where they left off as they travel to Milwaukee on Feb. 20 after the mid-season break.

Harden's extended time on the court against the Jazz saw him finish the game with 32 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. However, it was Norman Powell's 41 point that made the biggest difference, as the Clippers beat the Jazz by 4 points in overtime.

James Harden reacts to Ben Simmons joining the Clippers as Australian star makes debut against the Utah Jazz

Ben Simmons finally made his move to the West Coast on Feb. 10 after spending his first nine years in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets. The Australian was bought out of his contract by the Nets on Feb. 8, allowing him to join the Clippers as a free agent.

Former Houston Rockets star James Harden reacted to Simmons joining the LA franchise after his team's win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 12. Traded in exchange for Simmons by the Nets in 2022, the two will now be teammates and Harden had nothing but positive words to share during the post-game interview:

"I’m excited, man. Ben brings a skill set that, outside of myself, I feel like we don’t have,His passing ability, his speed, the way he pushes the ball and gets guys involved in the offense, those are things that can really help us. And defensively, he can still get after it," he expressed.

After sitting out against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Ben Simmons checked in against the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The Australian entered the game in the first quarter with 4:58 left on the clock and recorded 12 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists during his 27 minutes on the court.