Friday 28 December 2018 09:00, UK
James Harden scored 45 points and hit an equal-career-best nine three-pointers to lead the Houston Rockets to victory against the Boston Celtics.
Harden's haul, which came on 11-of-26 shooting, sealed a 127-113 win for Houston, their eighth home success in a row. It was also 'The Beard's' eighth successive 30+ point outing.
Harden started the game on fire, scoring 17 of the Rockets' 35 points in the opening quarter while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc.
His hot streak cooled mid-game but he rediscovered his touch from the outside as the Celtics battled back to take a third-quarter lead.
The defending MVP drained four successive treys (three in the third quarter, one in the final period) to enable the Rockets to regain control and then pull away for the win.
Click the video at the top of the page to watch Harden's 45-point performance
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