When the Clippers completed their long-rumored trade for James Harden, coach Tyronn Lue said his team would need 10 games with Harden in their lineup to figure things out. That seemed optimistic, but not impossible.
They were 4-6 in Harden’s break-in period, but had won four of the last five games and were beginning to establish rotations and some semblance of rhythm and confidence. Still, as Lue prepared the Clippers to face the injury-depleted Denver Nuggets on Monday, he knew there would be more turbulence in store as players adjusted to different roles and tried to become a cohesive whole at both ends of the floor.