Houston Rockets: Top 5 moments from James Harden’s 30-point streak

Photo by Bill Baptist/Getty Images
Photo by Bill Baptist/Getty Images /
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Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images /

4. The ankle-breaking crossover against Jamal Murray

On a night where Harden found himself constantly drawing double teams and traps, the reigning MVP would somehow find a way to draw — and dispatch — yet another favorable matchup out in isolation when the opportunity presented itself.

In an early January matchup against the Denver Nuggets, Harden took out the time to size up his defender Jamal Murray out in isolation following a screen, before busting out a behind-the-back crossover that would send the former Kentucky star falling to the hardwood.

He showed no remorse in the process, as the man who once set the Internet ablaze with a killer step-back and stare down of Wesley Johnson finished Murray off by knocking down the 3-point shot — and drawing the foul — for a 4-point play.

"“It kind of caught me off guard how he fell,” Harden told reporters the following day. “I tried to knock down the shot after.” “I got to finish. That’s what makes the move, it’s the finish. Finish what you started.”"

Although Murray sought to redeem himself by not giving up on the play to contest Harden’s shot, this particular reel will likely go down as one of the top 10 plays of the year, as The Beard has yet another highlight that he can use to boost interest in his official mixtape come season’s end.