James Harden sitting at fourth place on the all-time leaderboard for many 50-point video games makes loads of sense. He is been maybe the NBA’s most harmful one-on-one scorer for greater than a decade now. He has three scoring titles. These are the traits one would anticipate out of a 50-point scorer.
What’s a bit extra stunning, although, is that every one 23 of his 50-point video games got here with the Houston Rockets — till Wednesday night time.
He received Sixth Man of the Yr for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, however by no means scored 50 factors in a recreation for them. The Brooklyn Nets surrendered seven years price of first-round picks for him, however did not get a 50-point efficiency out of him both. Not even the Philadelphia 76ers, run by Harden’s Houston normal supervisor Daryl Morey, might squeeze a 50-point effort out of him.
However now, the Los Angeles Clippers can say they’ve accomplished so. On Wednesday, these Clippers, losers of six of their previous seven getting into the competition, wanted an offensive explosion to outlive the Detroit Pistons with Kawhi Leonard sidelined. Harden gave them one, scoring 50 on the dot to achieve the milestone for the primary time since December of 2019 and twenty fourth time total because the Clippers prevailed 123-115.
In typical Harden trend, all of his factors got here on the free-throw line (16), within the paint (16) or from behind the arc (18). It was an effort the Clippers wanted as they try and claw their manner again into the highest six within the Western Convention.
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Jasmyn Wimbish
Harden one 50-point recreation away from tying Kobe
Given the greater than 5 years which have handed since his final 50-piece, the percentages of Harden scoring 50 once more are unclear.
If he does handle to take action once more, although, he’d tie Kobe Bryant for third place on the all-time NBA checklist with 25. That is in all probability as excessive as he might realistically climb, as No. 2 Michael Jordan has 31 50-point video games.
If by some miracle he reached Jordan, he’d be completely capped at No. 2. Why? As a result of Wilt Chamberlain scored 50 factors in a recreation an astonishing 118 instances, practically 4 instances as typically as anybody else did. That is what occurs whenever you common 50 factors per recreation for an entire season.
Whether or not he finishes fourth, third or second on the checklist, Harden’s credentials as an all-time scorer have lengthy been cemented. Wednesday was only a cherry on high, an opportunity for him to point out the basketball world that he is nonetheless acquired it even at 35 years outdated.
