With Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza both out for Tuesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic, the Houston Rockets would look to lean heavily on its star point guard James Harden, and boy did he deliver. In fact, James Harden answered his team's call by recording the best game of his life Tuesday night, statistically.
Harden absolutely destroyed the Magic and went 19-for-30 from the floor, ending with 60 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in what is a new NBA record for highest point in a triple double. He also threw in 4 steals and a block shot to pack the stat sheet as well.
Harden’s previous career high entering Tuesday was 56 points which he got a few years ago against the Utah Jazz, but he didn't get a triple double in the process.
The 60 points from Harden Tuesday night also serves as a new franchise high for the Rockets, surpassing the 57 that Houston legend Calvin Murphy had owned for the past 40 years.
Having finished second twice in the MVP race in his career, Harden is looking to change that this year as he’s arguably the top leader for this year’s prestigious award. Whether he continues to stay this hot and avoid injury will remained to be seen, but there’s no denying the fact that he’s in the race for MVP this season.
Check out highlights from Harden’s insane 60-point night (below).
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