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James Harden Ends Clippers-Nuggets First Quarter With Ankle-Breaking Buzzer Beater

Tim Capurso

Harden dribbling against Braun.
Harden dribbling against Braun. / Screengrab Twitter @NBA
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James Harden is cooking early in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.

With a series of drives to the basket and a three-pointer, Harden raced out of the gate en route to scoring 12 first-quarter points. And with the first period winding down, Harden had the ball in his hands with a chance to add to his tally.

Facing up near half court on the logo with Nuggets guard Christian Braun defending him, Harden began to dance, then, with under four seconds left in the first period, The Beard made his move. Harden hit Braun with a wicked hesitation dribble move that left the Nuggets defender doing something resembling a split. Then, the Clippers guard dribbled forward and hit a stepback three as the buzzer sounded.

Adding insult to injury, Harden appeared to point at Braun after the play in a I-got-you moment. The impressive move left Harden with 15 points in the first quarter and gave the Clippers a 12-point lead entering the second quarter.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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