NBA: 3 highest-scoring games of James Harden's career
James Harden is one of the top three guards in the NBA today and is the defending MVP. After getting snubbed off MVP for several years, he finally got his hands on one of the most prestigious trophies in sports.
Harden led the Rockets to the first seed in Western Conference and averaged ridiculous numbers over the season. They lost to the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Finals in seven games. This year, after the early struggles, the Rockets are slowly starting to perform to the level of expectations and Harden is the reason for it. Let us take a look at three of his highest-scoring games in the NBA so far.
#3 54 at Washington Wizards, November 26, 2018
Stat line: 54 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists and 3 steals on 53.1 % shooting
The Houston Rockets got the kind of start to the season that they would not have desired before the season started. They were with a win-loss record of 9-9 and came to Washington after a tough loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. James Harden registered his first 50-point game of the season, but the Wizards got the win in overtime.
Harden was hot in the first quarter and scored 12 points to give the Rockets, a 42-30 lead. However, John Wall answered back in the second quarter, and the Wizards entered the half-time with a 67-65 lead.
When the Rockets came back from the break, it was Harden's show as he exploded for 21 points in the third quarter and the Rockets gained a 4 point by the end of three quarters. Too many missed shots and turnovers in the fourth quarter meant that the Wizards would come back and the game went into overtime.
The Rockets would not stop committing turnovers, and missing shots in the overtime and the Wizards held off the Rockets for a 135-131 win.