James Harden doing 'whatever it takes' for Rockets while torching the NBA
Former MVP recorded 10 three-pointers in consecutive games
Saturday 14 December 2019 10:23, UK
Can James Harden become the first player in 57 years to average 40 points a game in the NBA?
Don't bet against it.
Harden found his three-point shooting touch yet again on Friday, scoring a blistering 54 points in the Rockets' 130-107 victory over the Orlando Magic.
He matched the team record of 10 threes he set in Houston's previous game in Cleveland, where he scored 55 points.
"I just want to win," Harden said simply. "Whatever it takes."
Harden scored 50 or more for the fifth time this season and the fourth time in his last seven games. The rest of the NBA has combined for only five such games this season.
Notching a league-leading 39.3 points per game, Harden is close to becoming the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to average 40 a game for an entire season.
Chamberlain managed the feat twice, averaging 50.4 points in 1961 and 44.8 in 1963. The seven-footer, who died in 1999, did not have the benefit of the three-point shot, which came into play in the NBA in 1979.
In recent years, the shot has dramatically risen in use, with Harden shattering the single-season record for three-point attempts last season.
The man known simply as "The Beard" was 10 of 15 from long range and 19 of 31 overall from the field on Friday.
He also had a seven assists, five rebounds and two steals in 36 minutes, receiving an unusually loud ovation from the opposing Orlando crowd when he headed to the bench in the final minutes.
'He did not miss tonight'
"I feel like we lost against just him tonight," Magic guard Evan Fournier said. "He's the MVP for a reason. We talked about in pregame that he'll take shots, and we'll just live with the results. He did not miss tonight, period."
Harden set the Houston record for three-pointers with 10 in 18 attempts on Wednesday night in a 55-point game in a victory at Cleveland.
In the history of the NBA, only three other players - Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and JR Smith - have multiple games with 10 or more three-pointers, according to Yahoo Sports.
"When he's shooting over the top like that, I don't know what you can do," Orlando coach Steve Clifford said.
Russell Westbrook added 23 points for Houston. The Rockets were 22 of 39 from three-point range, setting a record for the most three-pointers by any Magic opponent in franchise history.
"We just shot the ball extremely well," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "When James is like that, it's hard for anybody to really beat us… no matter what kind of defense you're going to throw, we've got guys."
