Though Houston Rockets star James Harden had 24 points in Sunday’s thrilling victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, it was far from his most efficient night at 5-of-14 from the field (35.7%). In fact, it was more than 10 points below his overall average for the 2019-20 NBA season.
Ultimately, Harden’s performance Sunday will likely be remembered more for his defensive play — headlined by six steals and his strong work in the post against reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Nonetheless, even on an off shooting night for the eight-time NBA All-Star and 2018 MVP, Harden still made a bit of offensive history.
With his 24 points, Harden passed legendary San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson for No. 39 on the league’s all-time scoring list. That accomplishment means “The Beard,” at just 30 years old, is already the top left-handed scorer in the history of the NBA.
After Sunday’s action, Harden is leading the NBA in scoring for a third consecutive season at 34.4 points per game. That’s just the third time in over 30 years that a player has averaged at least 34 points. (The other two were Harden’s 36.1 last season and Kobe Bryant’s 35.4 in 2005-06.)
Assuming he keeps his scoring average above 34 once the remaining six regular-season games are complete, Harden will become just the third player in league history to average at least 34 points in two different seasons, joining Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.
Over his eight seasons to date in Houston, Harden has earned All-Star honors in all of them while leading his Rockets to the playoffs. The future Hall of Famer was the NBA’s 2017-18 MVP and a three-time MVP runner-up, and he appears poised for another top-three MVP finish this season.
