James Harden Calls Kawhi Leonard 'Generational' After 30-Point Game vs Blazers

The Western Conference is arguably the deepest it's been in years.

The Denver Nuggets remain elite, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are loaded, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Lakers all have championship aspirations, and the Clippers are right in that mix.

Kawhi. Closing time.

Gets to his spot and drills it in crunchtime. pic.twitter.com/AkERqhTELh
— Grant "Money" Mona (@Gmona48) October 27, 2025

With Kawhi Leonard healthy and playing at this level, alongside a savvy veteran point guard like James Harden, who knows how to maximize his talent, the Clippers have the star power to compete with anyone and the depth to sustain a long season.

Harden Compliments Kawhi

The Los Angeles Clippers are finding their rhythm in the 2025-26 season, and their dynamic duo is starting to click.

Following Sunday night's 114-107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, James Harden had nothing but high praise for his superstar teammate, Kawhi Leonard.

"Kawhi is a very, very generational talent," Harden said after the game. "So Kawhi can get off and get to his spots whenever he wants to. And he obviously makes the shot more often than not. We're so good as a team, it's just flow of the game… The ultimate goal is to win the game however that looks."

James Harden on Kawhi Leonard:

“Kawhi is a very, very generational talent. So Kawhi can get off and get to his spots whenever he wants to. And he obviously makes the shot more often than not. We’re so good as a team, it’s just flow of the game… The ultimate goal is to win the… pic.twitter.com/zXrtqAq1tt
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) October 27, 2025

The comments come as Leonard bounced back from a rough season opener to show he's healthy and capable of playing at an elite level against a tough Portland defense.

Leonard put up 30 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals while shooting an efficient 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, and it was a dramatic improvement from the season opener, where Leonard managed just 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting in a blowout loss at Utah.

The Harden-Leonard Chemistry

kawhi harde — Oct 22, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) slaps hands with guard James Harden (1) after a basket against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

While Leonard grabbed the headlines with his double-double, Harden played the perfect complement to Kawhi.

The veteran point guard finished with 20 points and 13 assists against the Trail Blazers, making sure everyone got involved, and through three games this season, Harden is averaging 21.7 points and 10.3 assists.

But the real story isn't just the numbers.

It's how well he and Leonard are playing off one another on the court.

Kawhi Leonard thanked Ty Lue for getting him involved early tonight:

“It’s great for any of us to get going early. If any of us sees me, Zu, James, Beal, Bogi, get going it excites everybody. Made shots or defensive plays always gets the team motivated. But I thank him for… pic.twitter.com/h7g7hKfF7S
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) October 27, 2025

The duo combined for 57 points in Friday's rout of the Suns, with Harden going off for 30 points on 8-of-12 shooting while draining five three-pointers. Against Portland, Harden took a backseat to Leonard's scoring night, focusing more on distributing the ball and setting up his teammates.

The Clippers sit at 2-1 after the win over Portland, bouncing back from a disappointing season-opening loss at Utah where they fell behind early and never recovered.

They'll face a quick turnaround Tuesday night when they travel to face the Golden State Warriors in a nationally televised Western Conference showdown.

Harden Compliments Kawhi

The Harden-Leonard Chemistry

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