James Harden has 37 to lead Nets over Clippers in conclusion to 5-0 West Coast trip

James Harden started it, and then he finished it.

What began with Harden’s domination — and a 15-point fourth-quarter lead — ended with Harden making a key defensive play and snatching victory from the grips of collapse Sunday evening as the Nets beat the Clippers, 112-108, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Nets won their sixth in a row and concluded the most successful West Coast road trip in franchise history, 5-0 against Golden State, the Kings, the Suns, the Lakers and the Clippers.

The Nets led 96-81 early in the fourth quarter but the Clippers tied it at 108 with 28.6 seconds left on two free throws by Kawhi Leonard.

Kyrie Irving’s long three-pointer hit the back of the rim, but DeAndre Jordan’s putback — a one-handed volley into the net — gave the Nets a two-point lead with 11 seconds to go. Leonard drove for a layup that would have tied the score with 8.1 seconds left, but he pushed off against Harden, nullifying the basket. Harden’s two free throws with 7.3 seconds remaining sealed the game.

"I don’t think today was perfect by any stretch, but I think hustle and desire carried us through stretches," Nets coach Steve Nash said. "We made it interesting at the end, but I thought over the course of the night we played well enough to win the game."

Harden put on a master class in the first half and continued embracing the mantle of facilitator and shot creator. He finished with 37 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. It was his 12th consecutive double-double, extending a franchise record. Irving had 28 points and eight assists.

"The most I’m proud of is our mindset every game, every possession," Harden said. "It’s the same mindset and that is to go out there and help each other defensively. Offensively, take your shots when you’re open and when you’re not, be unselfish. And it’s contagious on both ends of the floor, as you can see. So we’re still growing, but this is a really good road trip for us and now we get the opportunity to go back home and keep playing that same brand of basketball."

Paul George led the Clippers with 34 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, and seven assists. Leonard had 29 points and 13 rebounds.

The Nets were dealt another difficult blow when Patrick Beverley made hard contact on Jeff Green’s right side on a screen with 2:50 left. Green lay writhing on the hardwood for a few long seconds before being escorted to the locker room in apparent pain. There was no immediate update on the injury.

The Nets also lost Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot in the second quarter with a right hip contusion.

The Nets, playing without Kevin Durant (hamstring), took a two-point deficit into the second quarter but outscored the Clippers 30-21 in the second quarter to go into the break up 58-51.

"We showed mental toughness, belief and connectivity by continuing on this trip no matter who was available," Nash said. "We showed that toughness that is non-negotiable if you want to be a great team."

Notes & quotes: In the first half, Harden had a game-high 21 points, a game high-tying eight rebounds and a game-high four assists. The last Net to reach those totals in any half was Jason Kidd (21 points, eight rebounds, six assists) in the second half on Feb. 23, 2003, against Orlando.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.