Watch Houston Rockets @ Golden State Warriors live on Sky Sports USA in the early hours of Friday morning
Thursday 3 January 2019 23:27, UK
James Harden has produced an historic 10-game run to lift the Houston Rockets into the upper echelons of the Western Conference and vault himself into the 2018/19 MVP race.
Over his past 10 outings, Harden has averaged 40.8 points per game on 44.2 per cent shooting. He has made 4.6 three-pointers per game, connecting on 38.7 per cent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He has also averaged 8.9 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 13.1 made free throws in this span.
Harden's stellar play has earned the Rockets nine wins in those 10 games and lifted them to fourth in the West Conference (21-15).
Harden's mammoth recent numbers put him in the most-rarified air possible in NBA terms. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other players have scored 400+ points over 10 games. Their names are Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
With the Rockets set to face defending NBA champions the Golden State Warriors, live on Sky Sports USA (channel 407), in the early hours of Friday morning, we look back at the best moments from Harden's scorching 10-game streak.
Harden dropped 50 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to become the only NBA player to post four 50+ point career triple-doubles.
Houston's franchise star connected on 14 of his 26 shots (including 4-of-12 from three-point land) and drained 18 of his 19 free throw shots.
Harden posted another triple-double, this time featuring 32 points on 64.3 per cent shooting, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The victory lifted the Rockets back to .500 (14-14), a significant landmark given their early-season struggles.
Harden was at his mesmeric best as he scored 47 points to lead the Rockets to victory over the Utah Jazz.
His scoring haul came on 14-of-31 shooting and included 4-of-12 from beyond the three-point arc. He also connected on 15 of his 16 free throws.
With 13.3 seconds left in the game and the Rockets holding on to a two-point lead, Harden found his range from long distance, facing up Jazz guard Ricky Rubio before connecting on a step-back three-pointer to seal the win.
Harden produced an efficient 35 points in 33-and-a-half minutes as Houston cruised to a comfortable win over the struggling Wizards.
He received plenty of help from his team-mates as the Rockets set an NBA single-game record by sinking 26 three-pointers en route to victory.
Playing the second night of a back-to-back set of games proved too much for Houston as they fell to a narrow defeat in Miami.
Harden scored 35 points and handed out 12 assists but he shot inefficiently, making just seven of his 23 attempts as 22 points from Josh Richardson proved enough for the Heat to end Houston's winning run.
In the first game of what proved to be a prolonged absence for the injured Chris Paul, Harden took control as the Rockets rolled to a home win against Texas rivals San Antonio.
Harden battled his way through 41 minutes to post 39 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals to seal the Rockets' first win this season without 'CP3'.
Harden recorded his seventh consecutive 30-plus-point game and received scoring help down the stretch from new recruit Austin Rivers as Rockets won on Christmas Day.
Harden finished with a game-high 41 points on 15-of-35 shooting plus six rebounds and seven assists as Houston moved to 18-15.
Harden matched his career high for three-pointers in a single game as Rockets extended their home-court winning streak to eight consecutive games with victory over the Boston Celtics.
Harden contributed a game-high 45 points, hitting 9-of-18 three-pointers to pace the Rockets to a 127-113 win.
Harden was ablaze in the first quarter, scoring 17 of the Rockets' 35 points in the opening frame while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
Harden joined Oscar Robertson in the NBA record books with another sensational display in a 108-104 win for the Houston Rockets over the New Orleans Pelicans.
He posted 41 points and six assists in Houston's win, becoming only the second player to post more than 35 points and five helpers in seven straight games. Robertson managed that feat twice in 1965 and 1967.
"That's what I play for," Harden said when asked about being compared to 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Robertson.
"Obviously, I have a long way to go, but that's what I put my jersey on for, that's what I lace my shoes up for, to go out there and be the best that I can be and when it's all said and done, be mentioned as one of the best basketball players to ever touch a basketball."
Harden maintained his red-hot form recording a triple-double as Houston defeated the Memphis Grizzlies on New Year's Eve.
Harden posted 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists to pass 400 points over his past 10 games. He connected on eight of his 19 shots, including 6-of-12 from three-point land and canned 21-of-27 free throws.
Harden's next test comes in the early hours of Friday morning (3:30am) with a trip to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors. Will 'The Beard' maintain his red-hot streak against the defending NBA champions? You can watch the game live on Sky Sports USA.
