James Harden Says Clippers' Critics Are 'Nowhere to Be Found' amid Improved Play

The Los Angeles Clippers have won four straight games and 13 of their last 15 to soar up the Western Conference standings.

After Wednesday's 131-122 win over the Phoenix Suns, James Harden threw a jab at the doubters who ripped the trade that sent him to Los Angeles amid the Clippers' early struggles.

"Fit is great, I knew that from the beginning and it's one of the reasons why I wanted to be a part of this," Harden told reporters. "Obviously it didn't start off well. So many people was — it gave people so much to talk about in a negative way — and now those people that were talking are nowhere to be found. Like, literally nowhere to be found. Which, we knew that was going to happen.

"But for us, I think it's just focusing on this team and getting better every single day and focusing on the main goal."

Harden, who struggled mightily as he worked his way into shape and tried finding his role in Los Angeles, began righting the ship last month. He averaged 20.0 points, 9.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds while shooting an efficient 43.3 percent from three-point range in December, re-establishing himself as a true third star next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Leonard has also been playing stellar basketball, with the Clippers winning each of his last 11 starts.

The recent hot stretch has the Clippers sitting 21-12 overall and fourth place in the Western Conference. They're just three games out of the No. 1 seed as the Minnesota Timberwolves regress a bit from their scorching start.

The Clippers' stellar play is contrasted by their Crypto.com Arena co-tenant Lakers, who seemingly peaked in winning the NBA In-Season Tournament. The Lakers have dropped three straight games and eight of their last 10 regular-season contests and are barely hanging onto the No. 10 seed at the moment.

While Harden's former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, have thrived without him thanks to the ascent of Tyrese Maxey to All-Star status, this deal has clearly become a win-win for both sides.