James Harden broke multiple basketball records broken in one game. Imagine registering a 112-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, in which one of the players scored more than half of the points.
The Houston Rockets came up with a surprise package in the form of James Harden in their Sunday Match.
Harden scored a whopping 57 points in just 34 minutes of the game. This was the 600th NBA win for Mike D’Antoni, who is serving as the coach for the Rockets.
The Records Made and Broken
Harden has been scoring 30+ points in his last 17 games. The record for the longest consecutive 30+ points is set by Wilt Chamberlain. Harden is now just below him. He broke his tie with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant by scoring 57 in this game.
Harden became the only player to score 50+ points in more than one game. He has achieved the feat 3 times, while none of the other players has more than one. He scored less than 30 points in on December 11 against the Portland Trail Blazers. But it too came in the winning cause.
In the last 17 games, he has averaged 41.3 points a game, winning 13 out of them. He has scored 50+ points twice and 40+ points ten times in those games. Not only this, he also had 5 triple-doubles in them.
The Future for Houston Rockets
While everyone was appreciating him for his stupendous play, Harden said that its no time to relax. He told the reporters that the game was an “emotional lift” for him but he and his team have to make sure that they keep the momentum going.
Harden now averages 34.8 points a game in this NBA Season. But still, things are not looking good for the Houston Rockets. Their star players Paul and Gordon have been out due to injuries for too long now. Paul is suffering from hamstring while Gordon is struggling with his injured knee.
These injuries have left Harden alongside Nene, Rivers, House Jr and Tucker, the guys who would be Harden’s last choice for his assists. These four are the forgettable quartet of the Rockets. And Harden knew this.
He looked all pumped from the very first second scoring 36 points in the first half only. His confidence and determination pumped the entire team to conclude the game with just nine rebounds and committing just five turnovers in the entire game.
Source- New York Times, BBC.com
