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The numbers are staggering to look all by themselves.
Rockets point guard James Harden recorded 53 points, 17 assists, and 16 rebounds on New Year’s Eve in a 129-122 win over the Knicks.
But the numbers have even more weight when you put them into context. Harden’s points and assists accounted for 95 of the Rockets’ 129 points. That offensive output is only second to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game in 1962, per the Elias Sports Bureau.
Harden was also the first ever player to record a triple-double with 50 points, 15 assists, and 15 rebounds. I repeat...EVER. In over 70 years of NBA basketball, only one player has reached that mark and it’s James Harden.
Historic! James Harden became the first player in @NBAHistory w/ 50 points, 15 reb. & 15 assists in a game. Harden had 53/16/17 @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/vsXJlCMje0
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) January 1, 2017
Harden also tied Michael Jordan with his fourth consecutive 30 point/10 assist game (1989). He also set a career high in points and tied his career high in assists and three-pointers made (eight).
Harden joined a rarified air with Jordan and Chamberlain and it speaks to how great he has been this season.