James Harden Scores Career-High 61 in Houston Win

James Harden with the Houston Rockets in 2016
James Harden with the Houston Rockets in 2016. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock (5613421g)

The Rockets’ James Harden is having one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He turned in his best performance of the year on Friday night.

Harden scored a mind-boggling 61 points in the Rockets’ 111-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The front-runner for the MVP is now averaging an absurd 36.5 points per game on the season.

Harden scored his 61 points on only 34 shots from the field, demonstrating elite efficiency. He got to the free throw line 17 times on Friday night and made 14 of those shots.

After the game, Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said that Harden’s performance was “one of the best” that he had ever seen.

Harden also scored 61 points in a January game against the New York Knicks, and joins Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant as the only players to ever have multiple 60-point games in a season.

The Rockets’ win over the Spurs improved their record to 46-27. With 9 games left in the season, they currently hold a one-game edge over the Portland Trail Blazers for the Western Conference’s #3 seed in the playoffs.

The Rockets largely have Harden to thank for their strong position in the standings this year. He proved it once again on Friday night.