James Harden, Tyronn Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. react to first Clippers game at Intuit Dome

It took a few minutes for fans to navigate through the halls of the Dome, but they quickly found their seats and tuned into the show. The NBA’s official boxscore states that 13,400 fans attended the preseason opener on Monday night.

“I love it,” Derrick Jones Jr. said after scoring the first ever basket at the arena. “The arena is nice as—. Sorry I was about to curse. The arena is really amazing. I definitely like this. This is probably one of the best arenas that I’ve ever stepped foot in and the practice facility as well, so I’m glad I’m here being able to be there and playing the in Intuit Dome and be the first team that’s getting that floor right.”

James Harden, who is going to be tasked with leading this team in Kawhi Leonard’s absence, said he had a great time despite it only being a preseason game.

“It’s crackin’!” Harden smiled. “It’s crackin’ in here. Preseason game but just to see the screen and the fans and the lights all around the seats, it’s gonna be a good season for us. It’s gonna be fun to watch.”

The Intuit Dome has a different setup from other NBA arenas in that the baseline closest to the Clippers bench has a normal bowl shape while the one by the opposing team’s bench features, “The Wall.”

One might think that the depth perception might mess with players one half versus the other, but Harden says it’s nothing that he considers bothersome.

“Once we get in there a little bit more, get a little bit more comfortable,” Harden explained. “But I’m just excited about the whole atmosphere in this building. I think the city of L.A. is excited about it as well.

“I think that was just a quarter of what was going on. I think Steve [Ballmer] didn’t want to give y’all the whole rundown of what’s going down. He’s holding back for y’all. He said you gotta be there on the 23rd to witness it.”

The Clippers confirmed that while the Halo Board was functional and displaying a number of stats on Monday night, the team has a full unveil of the board saved for the season opener against the Phoenix Suns on October 23rd.

“It’s beautiful,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd added. “To be able to practice here yesterday and have shootaround here, they did an incredible job. I think the Clippers fans should be happy. I think when you look at the fan experience, it’s gonna be like no other, so it’s exciting to be the first visiting team here tonight to experience that.”

The Wall was on full display with fans standing for most of the night and in the ears of Mavs players. With the seats in close proximity to the Mavs bench, it will surely be a long season for opposing teams from that perspective.

“It’s a great feeling to have a place to call home,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue added. “I think our guys are very excited about it, our whole organization is very excited about it. Tonight, our fans got a chance to see a part of it.

“I loved it. I thought the crowd was great and the wall was really great. They did a goos job just being loud and being disruptive. That’s what we need. it felt good to actually be at home. To give the crowd a good game, we always play better, but I thought we played hard, we competed, we scrapped, and that’s what the fans want to see.”

The Clippers will play one more preseason game on Thursday, October 17th against the Sacramento Kings. Kawhi Leonard as well as James Harden will not play in that one, and not many other starters are expected to either.

That will be the final game before the Clippers officially open up the Intuit Dome on Wednesday, October 23rd when James Harden and the Clippers host Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Phoenix Suns.