James Harden jokes about Steve Ballmer’s $121.4B net worth amid talks of ‘tearing down’ Intuit Dome citing losing streak
James Harden and the LA Clippers finally broke the Intuit Dome curse by beating the San Antonio Spurs, 113-104, on Monday. LA had lost its first four games at its newly constructed $2 billion home arena.
The losses had frustrated him so much that Steve Ballmer even joked about tearing down the Intuit Dome and building a new arena again after the rough start.
Even Harden thought it was cursed. Here's what the Clippers star said about his and Ballmer's thoughts after Monday's maiden win at the venue:
"I thought this s**t was cursed at first," Harden said. "Steve came in here making jokes about it."
Harden then revealed Ballmer's reaction to the losing start at the venue, joking about the Clippers owner's $121.4 billion net worth (per Forbes).
"He thought he was gonna have to tear it down and build a new one. That tells you how much money he got," Harden said.
The jokes may have continued after Monday if not for the Clippers' valiant effort to erase a 26-point first-half deficit.
James Harden contributed 17 points and eight assists in that cause, shooting 60.0%, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Amir Coffey was the man responsible for the spirited fight back after tallying 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting off the bench in 25 minutes, hitting 5-of-6 3-pointers.
Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac also made handy contributions. Powell scored 23 points, while Zubac finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
James Harden keeps Clippers afloat amid debut season at Intuit Dome in Kawhi Leonard's absence
James Harden and the LA Clippers came into the season with lowered expectations after Kawhi Leonard was expected to be on the sidelines for an indefinite period. LA had already lost Paul George in free agency and Russell Westbrook via trade, leaving Harden as the only star from last year's star-studded quartet in action for the Clippers.
He's averaged 21.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 9.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks in seven games, leading the Clippers to a 3-4 record. It seems like a decent start, considering their lack of star power. Harden has orchestrated the team's offense in that span, ensuring LA isn't in a worse situation.
The Clippers will hope he can keep up the momentum and potentially improve his production as the season progresses until Kawhi Leonard returns to action. The Clippers play next at the Intuit Dome against the Philadelphia 76ers, also marking former star Paul George's first game back against LA.