Harden’s 43 fuel win
SALT LAKE CITY — After all the statistical milestones James Harden had piled up, it was time to chase something new. He had been keeping company with Wilt Chamberlain long enough. It was time to chase Hakeem Olajuwon, or given the venue, Andrei Kirilenko.
Harden’s scoring had become a given and that did not change. But Saturday, he filled the stat sheet and the defense asserted itself to send the Rockets past the Jazz 125-98. But Harden did not quite match the 5x5 statistical feats Olajuwon collected more than any NBA player and that Kirilenko made famous, falling one blocked shot of getting at least five in five statistical categories.
“I couldn’t do that in a video game,” Rockets guard Gerald Green said. “It’s crazy. It’s unbelievable the stuff he’s really doing.
“He’s so locked in. He puts the work in. He’s leading us in the right direction. Our job is to let him lead, follow him and he’ll take us where we need to go.”
When Harden took a foul to check out with 2:23 left, he had 43 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, six steals and four blocked shots.
Harden has scored at least 40 points in 13 of his past 20 games and topped 30 for a 26th consecutive game, trailing only Chamberlain’s runs of 65 and 31 games.
His third 40-point game with at least 10 rebounds and five steals tied Michael Jordan and Anthony Davis for the most in NBA history. Had he gotten that blocked shot, he would have had the top-scoring 5x5 game in NBA history.
“Any taller and I could have got another block,” Harden said. “I was just trying to be active and create some opportunities with our defense. Everybody was on the same page tonight. It felt pretty good.
“I've said before, that’s what makes players who they are, the grind days, back-to-backs, high altitude, three in four nights. You try to go out there and beast through it.”
The Rockets, however, had much more to celebrate.
The win likely cannot be considered the Rockets’ best of the season. The thriller at Golden State will remain tough to top. But this one might be the one they have needed the most.
Coming off the disheartening loss to the Pelicans and the demolition in Denver, the Rockets not only took a win in the second half of a tough road backto-back, they did it with their customary Hardenbased offense and atypical defensive performance.
The Rockets held the Jazz to 36 percent shooting and just 26.8 percent shooting on 3s, giving up 36 points in the paint on the way to a 29-point lead. The Rockets’ 15 steals matched their season high.
“It was a must-win for us,” Harden said. “They had us in the season series 2-1. We lost two in a row. It was a must-win for us and we came out here and played like it.
“Defensively, we got after it. Offensively, we moved the basketball. Everybody played well. That’s the effort it’s going to take for us every single night.”
When Austin Rivers opened the fourth quarter with a 3, the Rockets had their largest lead, 94-69. But Harden was sitting and Donovan Mitchell had yet to get untracked, making just four of 18 shots through three quarters.
When Mitchell began to roll, the Jazz rushed through a 13-3 run in the three minutes before Harden returned.
The Rockets got a tough Eric Gordon floater over Rudy Gobert and a James Ennis III slam to interrupt the Jazz run. But the Rockets did not seem to have the same energy on either end that had built the lead. But as they had throughout the game, the Rockets turned to Harden and the defense, and blew the game open.
“It was just a good spirit today,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I think it’s normal in January and February, the dog days, you get guys with heavy legs, tired. Every team needs a break. Denver was on fire and these guys couldn’t make one. We played our game, played well and James and a lot of guys contributed.
“I thought we were on the ball, we rebounded, we made few errors on defense. That’s what it takes.”
As always, it also took a bunch of Harden numbers, too, with his pursuit of another milestone making sure the latest collection of large numbers could not be taken for granted.