Columnist Dylan Hernández writes that James Harden looked nothing like the player with a reputation for stinking up arenas at this stage of the season.

Kawhi Leonard is healthy going into the offseason for the first time since 2020, having played just 37 games before the LA Clippers lost in the first round of the playoffs. The team with the oldest roster in the league is staking its future on the two-time Finals MVP and All-Star James Harden.

Harden has 28 points and eight assists in a bounce-back performance, Kawhi Leonard scores 27 and the Clippers hold on for a 111-105 win to set up a winner-take-all showdown Saturday in Denver.