James Harden After Win: 'Just Me Knowing What the Hell I'm Supposed to Be Doing'

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James Harden posted one of his best games in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform Wednesday night, posting 26 points, six assists and five steals in a 131-117 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Harden scored 17 of those points in the first quarter and pushed back on the ongoing narrative that he's been hesitant to shoot late in games.

"It's not even about the fourth quarter," Harden told reporters . "It's about the entire game. It's just me knowing what the hell I'm supposed to be doing and doing it."

Harden had not taken more than eight shots in any of his previous four games and has taken a decidedly secondary role since joining the Clippers. He's averaging just 15.1 points while taking 9.8 shots per game, both by far the lowest numbers of his career as a full-time starter.

While the Clippers have sputtered their way to a 8-9 start and have looked listless at times, Harden said he's been unaware of any criticism directed his way.

"This is the first time I've heard that," Harden said. "I don't really—I live in like the real world to where I control what I can control, focus on what I got to do every single day and that's all I can control."

There have been signs of life of late, with the Clippers sitting at 5-2 in their last seven games. By the end of the season, the six-game losing streak that marred the start of Harden's tenure may wind up being a mere blip on the radar. Players take time getting used to one another, and Harden's midseason arrival threw the Clippers' expected rotation into flux.

"That's what it should look like, guys," Clippers coach Lue said. "... That's what it should look like right there. Now we got to duplicate it again and again and again."