The Western Conference All-Star reserves were predominantly new to the midseason showcase: Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Williams, and Alperen Şengün will make their first All-Star appearances, while Jaren Jackson Jr. will make his second appearance and Anthony Edwards will make his third. Then there were the two old guys: Anthony Davis was named an All-Star for the 10th time, while James Harden will make his 11th appearance.
The Beard has been arguably the best player for an LA Clippers team that few expected to be the sixth seed in the Western Conference more than halfway through the season after losing Paul George in the offseason and welcoming Kawhi Leonard back after the new year. Harden’s efficiency — 39.9% from the field — isn’t great, but 21.7 points and 8.4 assists per game is nothing to scoff at.
Tonight, Harden will play his first game as a newly-minted 11-time All-Star — and teammate Norman Powell will play his first game as a newly-minted one-time All-Star snub — when the Clippers travel to face the Charlotte Hornets at 7 p.m. ET.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, LA is a 13-point favorite and the total is set for 208.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Harden.
Best James Harden Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
James Harden 8+ First-Quarter Points (+105)
I’m staying away from Harden’s full-game prop, because the Hornets are missing point guard LaMelo Ball, shooting guard Brandon Miller, and center Mark Williams, arguably their three best players, and I’ve suggested Clippers props that would have won in a more competitive game but lost because LA blew its opponent out and relegated Powell to the bench early. Over the last 10 games, the Clippers have a plus-12.9 net rating, the best in the NBA, while Charlotte’s plus-1.0 is merely league average.
This season, Harden has averaged 7.9 points in the first quarter, the fifth-most in the NBA, although that figure has dropped to 7.1 in the last 13 games, of which Leonard has played nine. He also ranks sixth in first-quarter usage rate among players who have appeared in 30 or more games this season, although that figure has also dropped slightly since Leonard’s return. Either way, Harden has clearly proven himself to be LA’s top scoring option in the early going, and Ball’s replacements in the starting lineup — second-year guards Vasilije Micić and Nick Smith Jr. — are neither big enough nor skilled enough to stay in front of Harden.
James Harden O1.5 Steals (+140)
Although Harden will never be known as a perimeter stopper — there are 10-plus-minute compilation videos on YouTube of him standing around while ball-handlers drive by him for open layups — he has extremely quick hands and averages 1.5 steals per game for his career, and he has the 17th-highest steal percentage of active NBA players. He is also averaging 1.5 steals per game this season, his most since he left Houston five years ago, and his plus-1.0 defensive box plus-minus is his highest across a full season since his Houston stint as well.
The Hornets allow only an average amount of steals, ranking 16th in the league in that category, despite rostering Ball, who coughs it up 3.7 times per game. Despite significantly less usage, Charlotte’s other point guards aren’t much better at taking care of the ball; both Micić and backup Isaiah Wong have higher turnover ratios than Ball, and Smith, Micić, and Wong all have worse assist-to-turnover ratios. Harden has recorded two or more steals in each of his past two games, and against an inexperienced Hornets team, he has a good chance to make it three.
