Houston Rockets: Top 10 moments from James Harden’s historic season
![HOUSTON, TX - MAY 04: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts in the fourth quarter during Game Three of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center on May 4, 2019 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) HOUSTON, TX - MAY 04: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts in the fourth quarter during Game Three of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Toyota Center on May 4, 2019 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/fb98a0781fc571770256faed1cead276f64d462aec289eb83c8d86e488e29a0c.jpg)
4. The 58-10-7 game against the Heat
In a contest that marked the second game of a back-to-back set for the Rockets, Harden would turn in arguably one of his greatest games of the season despite going to work on limited rest.
On an evening where Houston trailed by as many as 21 points against the Miami Heat in the third quarter, Harden would stamp his official imprint on the contest at the most ideal time, scoring 34 of his game-high 58 points in the second half to lead the Rockets to a 121-118 win on Feb. 28.
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"“We get the stat sheet at the end of the game, and I saw he had 58,” Rockets guard Austin Rivers told members of the media after Harden’s sixth 50-point game of the year. “All of us were like, ‘He had that many points?’ We had no idea he had that many points. That’s a lot of points. He was incredible.”"
Although most Heat players might have been stunned to witness Harden shoot at a 50 percent clip to shred their infamous 2-3 zone, scoring was far from the only thing that The Beard managed to do exceptionally well throughout the night.
Harden — who was accountable for 83 of Houston’s 121 points — capped off his red-hot shooting performance with 10 assists and seven rebounds. In addition to outscoring Miami’s entire second unit by himself, the former assist champion terrorized Heat defenders such as Josh Richardson and Justise Winslow, nailing several step-back jumpers and shots on one-on-one drives inside to help the Rockets close out February strong.