Record collection
James Harden seems to reach a milestone nightly.
For the third time in four games, guard James Harden accomplished unprecedented scoring milestones or accomplishments in Wednesday’s 126-125 overtime loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
With 57 points, Harden had the most points by a player with at least eight rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals in a game. The night before, he became the first player to score at least 30 points against 29 opponents in a season when he had 31 in Atlanta.
Two games prior to the road trip, Harden had 41 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, six steals and three blocked shots against the Suns.
He became the first player since steals and blocked shots became official NBA statistics in the 1973-74 season to get 30 points, 10 assists, five steals and three blocked shots in a game.
Harden said his scoring against the Grizzlies, when he had 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, was by necessity.
“We were down (19),” he said. “I had to do something.”
“He was unbelievable down the stretch,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He kept us in there with his scoring.”
That gave Harden his seventh 50-point game of the season, becoming only the second player (along with Wilt Chamberlain) to have had 50-point games in five consecutive months.
His 26 40-point games are the third most (since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77) behind Michael Jordan’s 37 40-point games in the 1986-87 season and Kobe Bryant’s 27 times in 2005-06. “It’s crazy, but you are (amazed), but you aren’t, because those are shots he shoots all the time,” guard Chris Paul said. “He’s so big and strong, when he leans on guys and steps back, he’s going to make or miss or you’re going to foul him.
“You don’t have a chance.”
Bad break was good call
The NBA on Thursday ruled in its daily Last Two Minute report that the Clint Capela foul of Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas with .1 left in overtime Wednesday was the correct call, sending Valanciunas to the line in a tie game for the gamewinning free throw.
Valanciunas had grabbed the rebound of a Mike Conley runner in the lane that the Rockets’ P.J. Tucker blocked. He made his first free throw and intentionally missed the second to seal the win. Contact between the Grizzlies’ Bruno Caboclo and Tucker on the missed free throw was ruled incidental.
The Valanciunas rebound itself and the jockeying for position was not addressed.
The report cited two other errors (not counting several travels or 3-second violations uncovered by “enhanced video”). Rockets forward Daniel House Jr. was fouled on a fastbreak layup that would have tied the game with 23.7 seconds left.
A James Harden foul of Conley moments later went uncalled, though the Rockets would not have been fouling had House finished that drive or made two free throws.