James Harden did it again.
Fresh off of scoring 55 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harden led the Houston Rockets to another victory on Saturday, this time against the Orlando Magic with 54 points. The seven-time All-Star did so with incredible efficiency, shooting 19-for-31 from the field, 10-for-15 from the 3-point line and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line.
Having made 10 3-pointers in Houston's win over Cleveland as well, Harden is only the second player in NBA history to hit at least 10 3-pointers in consecutive games. He also moved up on the NBA's all-time 3-pointers made list, surpassing Paul Pierce for eighth place.
James Harden is the 2nd player in NBA history with at least 10 3-pointers in consecutive games, joining Steph Curry in 2016. pic.twitter.com/8GYsqIOivV
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 14, 2019
According to Basketball Reference, Harden is now tied with Elgin Baylor for the fourth-most 40-point games in NBA history with 88. The only players ahead of them are Kobe Bryant (122), Michael Jordan (173) and Wilt Chamberlain (271).
Harden also has the fourth-most 50-point games in NBA history with 23, trailing only Bryant (25), Jordan (31) and Chamberlain (118) once again.
Furthermore, Harden has as many 50-point games this season (5) than the rest of the league combined.
The Rockets also got a boost out of Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore in the win. Westbrook went for 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while McLemore scored 18 points off the bench on 6-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
Led by Harden and McLemore's hot shooting, the Rockets made 22 of their 39 3-point attempts.
With the win, the Rockets are now 17-8 on the season, putting them only half a game behind the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference standings.
The Rockets are back in action on Sunday when they host the Detroit Pistons.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs.