Houston Rockets: Top 5 moments from James Harden’s MVP campaign
1. The 60-point triple-double against the Magic
Despite taking the floor without the services of Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza due to injury, James Harden would still find a way to put together the most finest performance of his career, as Houston’s MVP produced one of the most remarkable stat lines in the history of basketball in front of 18,055 fans on hand at the Toyota Center.
The Beard became the first player in NBA history to record 60 points as part of a triple-double, in the midst of guiding the shorthanded Rockets to a 114-107 victory against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 30.
"“I gave it all I had tonight,” Harden told reporters after the game. “We all did. We all fought hard for 48 minutes, we got key stops when we needed to and we made big shots.”"
Harden — who played a season-high 46 minutes — scored 18 of his career-high 60 points in the fourth quarter to surpass Calvin Murphy in the Rockets’ franchise record books for most points scored in a single game. Murphy, whose record had stood for 40 years, was on hand at the Toyota Center to look on and give Harden a standing ovation.
While most Magic players on the floor may have been quite stunned to witness Harden go 19-for-30 shooting from the field, scoring was not the only thing No. 13 managed to do throughout the entire night, as the man who led the league in assists during the 2016-17 season showed what he could do when provided with the keys to run Mike D’Antoni’s offense.
Harden was accountable for 86 out of Houston’s 114 points, dishing out a game-high 11 assists and 10 rebounds — all the while outscoring Orlando’s entire starting five by himself. The NBA scoring champion terrorized Magic defenders such as Mario Hezonja and Wesley Iwundu, nailing several step-back jumpers in isolation late to help the Rockets close out the month of January in epic fashion.
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The Beard’s grand performance, combined with his shots late, officially helped him to cement his status in the race for MVP.