Houston Rockets guard James Harden turned 30 years old Monday, which makes it an appropriate time to look back at 30 of the superstar’s most meaningful games to date with the franchise.
Now entering his eighth year in Houston, Harden has earned NBA All-Star honors in all seven of his seasons with the Rockets. He’s been named to the All-NBA First Team in five of those years.
He led the NBA in assists per game (11.2) in the 2016-17 season, then followed that up by leading the league in points per game (30.4, 36.1) in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, respectively. The future Hall of Famer’s total last season included the second-longest streak of consecutive 30-point games (32) in NBA history.
Harden has finished in the top two in Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting in four of the past five seasons, including his win in 2018.
The Rockets have made the Western Conference playoffs in all seven of Harden’s seasons in Houston after not qualifying in the prior three years. In five of the last six seasons, they’ve won 53 or more games and have been at least the No. 4 seed in the West.
They’ve made two trips to the West Finals, including in 2017-18, when Houston’s 65-17 record was by far its best in franchise history.
The lone blemish on Harden’s résumé to date, of course, is that the Rockets have yet to win an NBA title during his time in Houston.
But on Harden’s birthday, consider this: When Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon reported to Houston’s training camp in the fall of 1993, he was also 30 years and without a championship. That season, the Rockets went on to win their first of back-to-back titles.
We’ll have plenty of coverage in the months ahead as Harden works to replicate Olajuwon’s championship timeline. For now, enjoy this chronological look back at the most meaningful games by the current franchise icon over his initial seven seasons in Houston.
2012-13 Season
Oct. 31, 2012: The Rockets knew Harden would be very good when they traded for him in October 2012. They didn’t know if he’d be great. His efficiency was excellent during his first three NBA seasons in Oklahoma City, but it remained to be seen if that would hold up over additional minutes and a bigger role.
In his very first game in Houston, with barely a practice under his belt since the trade was less than a week old, the Rockets started to get their answer. Harden scored 37 points on 14-of-25 shooting and also posted 12 assists, as the Rockets overcame a double-digit deficit early in the fourth quarter to win at Detroit, 105-96. Houston outscored the home team by a 33-15 margin during the final quarter.
Feb. 20, 2013: Harden scored a then career-high 46 points (14/19 FG) to beat his old Thunder team, which entered the game at 39-14. The Rockets overcame a 14-point deficit with about seven minutes left.
March 24, 2013: Harden posted 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a 96-95 win over the eventual West champion Spurs, including a game-winning shot with only 4.5 seconds left.
May 1, 2013: The Rockets had already exceeded most reasonable expectations for the 2012-13 season by winning 45 games and making the playoffs as the West’s No. 8 seed, all after not qualifying in any of the prior three seasons.
But despite being down 3-1 against the top-seeded Thunder with the first-round series shifting back to Oklahoma City, the Rockets refused to go quietly into the night. While battling flu-like symptoms, Harden scored 31 points (including seven three-pointers) and grabbed eight rebounds as the Rockets won Game 5 by a 107-100 margin and forced the series to a Game 6 back in Houston.
2013-14 Season
Dec. 25, 2013: The Rockets went 4-0 in the regular season against the 2014 NBA champion Spurs, headlined by a 13-point win on Christmas in San Antonio. Harden was very efficient with 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 100% from three-point range. He had 16 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
May 2, 2014: Game 6 of the playoff series between the Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers will long be remembered for Damian Lillard’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to win it. But if not for a fantastic showing from Harden, the Rockets would never have led with only 0.9 seconds left. With Houston facing immense pressure in a road elimination game, Harden scored 34 points on just 15 shots (making nine of them), and he also had six assists and four steals.
2014-15 Season
Jan. 23, 2015: Harden had 33 points, 10 assists, and a game-winning shot at the buzzer over P.J. Tucker (now Harden’s teammate) as Houston won at Phoenix, 113-111. Dwight Howard left early with an injury and didn’t return for over two months, but Harden kept the Rockets composed and led them to the road victory.
March 1, 2015: In a showdown of MVP candidates, Harden and the Rockets bested LeBron James and the Cavaliers. The nationally televised ABC game was chippy at times, including a kick from Harden in James’ direction that ultimately led to a one-game suspension. But in the end, Harden’s 33 points and eight rebounds were enough to get Houston a 105-103 overtime win over the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cavaliers.
March 19, 2015: Harden had 50 points and 10 rebounds as the Rockets routed the Denver Nuggets to improve to 46-22. It was the first 50-point game of Harden’s career and the first time any Rockets player had reached 50 points since Olajuwon had 51 on Jan. 18, 1996.
April 15, 2015: Harden recorded a triple-double (16 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) in just 27 minutes during Houston’s regular season finale versus the Utah Jazz. The 117-91 victory clinched Houston’s first division title since the championship 1993-94 season and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
May 17, 2015: Harden scored a game-high 31 points to go with eight assists and seven rebounds as the Rockets won Game 7 of their second-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, 113-100. Houston overcame a 3-1 deficit in the series to advance to their first Western Conference Finals since the 1996-97 season.
May 25, 2015: With Houston facing elimination, Harden had 45 points (13-of-22 shooting) and 9 rebounds as the Rockets defeated the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 128-115, in Game 4 of the West Finals. The win pushed the series back to Oakland for Game 5.
2015-16 Season
Nov. 18, 2015: On a bizarre day that began with the unexpected firing of then-coach Kevin McHale, Harden posted 45 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, and five steals as the Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to defeat the Blazers in overtime.
April 21, 2016: The Warriors were the story of the 2015-16 NBA season with an all-time best 73 wins. Meanwhile, the Rockets were a major disappointment, finishing at 41-41 in the final year of Dwight Howard in Houston. But even in an underwhelming season, Harden still found a way to add to his career highlight reel by hitting a playoff game-winner over longtime nemesis Andre Iguodala. The left-hander finished with 35 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds in Houston’s Game 3 win during the first-round series versus Golden State.
2016-17 Season
Dec. 1, 2016: The Warriors had won the Western Conference in the previous two years and added Kevin Durant in the offseason, while the Rockets had a more modest free agency (by comparison) with the additions of Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, and Nene.
But with new coach Mike D’Antoni at the helm, the Rockets made an early-season statement at Oracle Arena that they had improved significantly, too. Harden’s 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists led the way in a 132-127 double-overtime victory over the Warriors.
Dec. 31, 2016: With 53 points, 17 assists, and 16 rebounds in a New Year’s Eve win over the New York Knicks, Harden became the first player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 15 assists and 15 rebounds in a single game. It was Harden’s second consecutive triple-double, and Harden said after the game that “it’s been a dream so far” to play in D’Antoni’s system.
March 20, 2017: Facing the Denver Nuggets at home, Harden drove the length of the floor for a game-winning layup with just 2.4 seconds left. He then broke up an ensuing inbounds play to seal the win. Harden had 39 points and 11 assists for the game, and “MVP” chants rained down as the game concluded with a 125-124 Houston victory.
April 16, 2017: The West’s first-round series between the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder was billed nationally as a showdown between Harden and Russell Westbrook, the league’s leading MVP contenders. Game 1 was no contest, with Harden posting 37 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in a 31-point rout. Houston eventually won the series in five games.
2017-18 Season
Oct. 17, 2017: The Rockets added Chris Paul in the offseason to try and reach Golden State’s level, and they delivered a statement in the first game of the season as to how far they had come. Led by 27 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds from Harden, the Rockets beat the Warriors on championship ring night at Oracle Arena, 122-121.
Nov. 9, 2017: LeBron James was the runner-up in 2018 MVP voting, but Harden made an early statement against James’ Cavaliers that it was his year. Even with Chris Paul out injured, Harden’s 35 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, and five steals led the Rockets to a 117-113 home win over Cleveland. It was part of a 25-4 start to the year for the Rockets, who finished with a franchise-best record of 65-17.
Jan. 30, 2018: Harden set a new career and franchise record with 60 points as the short-handed Rockets beat the Orlando Magic, 114-107. With Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza, and Eric Gordon all out, Harden led Houston to the win behind the first 60-point triple double (60 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds) in NBA history.
April 15, 2018: Harden opened the 2018 NBA postseason with 44 points (15/26 FG) and eight assists, and the top-seeded Rockets needed all of it to narrowly defeat No. 8 seed Minnesota, 104-101, in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
May 22, 2018: With the Rockets entering down 2-1 in the West Finals, Harden scored a game-high 30 points in Game 4 at Oracle Arena as Houston beat the defending NBA champs, 95-92, to tie the series.
The game will be remembered for Harden’s dunk over Draymond Green, but he also made significant contributions on defense. The Rockets outscored Golden State 25-12 over the fourth quarter to even the series heading back to Houston.
May 28, 2018: Harden had 32 points, six assists, six rebounds, and four steals in Game 7 of the 2018 West Finals. Though the Rockets lost the game and series in large part due to Chris Paul’s ill-timed hamstring injury, Harden’s team-best 32 points — all versus a legendary opponent focused almost exclusively on him — gave the undermanned Rockets a shot and kept the game within single digits.
2018-19 Season
Dec. 13, 2018: Harden tallied 50 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in a 126-111 victory over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. The 50-point triple-double was the start of 32 consecutive games for Harden to score 30 or more points, representing the second-longest such streak in NBA history.
Jan. 3, 2019: Harden had 44 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds at Oracle Arena against the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors. The game is best remembered for his last-second three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, which gave Houston its sixth consecutive win and likely serves as the signature shot to date of Harden’s NBA career.
Jan. 23, 2019: Harden set a new career-high with 61 points in Houston’s 114-110 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, punctuated by a dunk in the closing seconds to secure the win. Harden also had 15 rebounds and five steals in the game.
March 22, 2019: Harden tied his career-high with 61 points as the Rockets overcame a late 6-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the rival San Antonio Spurs. Harden went on a personal 13-2 run in the closing minutes to lift Houston to the win.
May 4, 2019: In Game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals between the Rockets and two-time defending NBA champion Warriors, Harden scored a game-high 41 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists as the Rockets won in overtime, 126-121. Harden’s total included two critical shots over Andre Iguodala in the final minute of overtime to put the game away.
May 6, 2019: Harden backed up his Game 3 showing with an equally dominant performance in Game 4. His 38 points and 10 rebounds led Houston to a 112-108 victory over the Warriors to tie the series.
To conclude our list of his career highlights to date, here’s a video of rapper Meek Mill welcoming Harden into his 30s after the clock passed midnight in the overnight hours Monday.
Happy birthday, James Harden!
