Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2
5. James Harden’s historic 30-point streak
From Dec. 13, 2018 through Feb. 21, 2019, James Harden scored 30 points or more in every single game. That was 32 straight games, or nearly half the season, and the one that ended his streak on Feb. 25 was a 28-point outing.
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1098834927427219456
During that historic stretch — the second-longest 30-point scoring streak in NBA history — the Beard averaged an absurd 41.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game on .441/.371/.893 shooting splits. The Houston Rockets went 21-11 during that stretch, going from 14th in the Western Conference all the way to up to fifth.
During those 32 games, here’s an extremely brief snapshot of Harden’s highlights:
- 50-point triple-double to start the streak
- 32-point triple-double the very next game
- 47 points against the Jazz
- 45 points on the Celtics
- 43-point triple-double on the Grizzlies
- 44-point triple-double the very next game in the game of the year (more on this later)
- 43-point triple-double on the Cavaliers
- 57 points on the Grizzlies
- 58 points (career high at the time) the next game against the Nets
- 48 in an OT win over the Lakers
- Career-high 61 points on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden
- 5 more 40-point games before the streak ended
That’s just stupid.
Anytime you accomplish something that puts you in the same air as Wilt Chamberlain, especially in the modern era, you know you’re doing something historic. Whether James Harden wins MVP this year or not honestly doesn’t matter. Thanks to this streak, and everything else the Beard accomplished, the 2018-19 campaign belonged to him.