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James Harden has established himself as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and the shooting guard is certain to get inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
It can be argued that Harden is the best offensive talent of the last decade, and there have been plenty of occasions where he has bailed out his team.
In this article, we take a look at six NBA games where James Harden scored 50 points but still could not carry his side past the finish line.
6 occasions where James Harden's teams lost despite him scoring 50 points
James Harden is a brilliant scorer who has put up more than 50 points on multiple occasions in the NBA. However, basketball is a team sport, and there have been six instances where Harden could not carry his team to a win despite dropping 50 points.
#6 - Houston Rockets vs San Antonio Spurs, 2019
The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs played out an epic battle back in 2019, which ended in favor of Gregg Popovich's side.
The Spurs won 133-135, but it was James Harden who stole the headlines, scoring 50 points. However, Harden's poor efficiency from the field was a major reason why the Rockets lost that game. He shot 29% from the field.
#5 - LA Clippers vs Houston Rockets, 2017
James Harden went supernova against the LA Clippers in 2017, scoring 51 points in a 128-118 losing effort. The shooting guard was exceptional throughout the game, but the Clippers won the game with ease, riding on Austin Rivers' 36-point game.
Harden was ridiculously efficient in the game, shooting a 64-42-93 split against the Clippers.
#4 - LA Lakers vs Houston Rockets, 2017
The young LA Lakers put on a show against a contending Houston Rockets side in 2017, inflicting a loss upon them by a scoreline of 122-116. Kyle Kuzma impressed with 38 points, but James Harden was the actual star of the night.
The 'Beard' scored 51 points and dished out 9 assists. He also shot 55% from the field and 66% from downtown.
#3 - Houston Rockets vs Washington Wizards, 2018
Playing the Washington Wizards away from home, James Harden almost led the Houston Rockets to a win as he scored 54 points and assisted his teammates 13 times.
Harden was efficient from the field, making 53% of his field goals. However, he turned the ball over 11 times, which helped the Wizards stay in the game.
Eric Gordon played the role of the second scorer to perfection that day, chipping in with 36 points. However, the dynamic backcourt duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal proved to be too much for the Houston Rockets defense, as they ended up scoring 36 and 32 points, respectively.
#2 - Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies, 2019
A gritty Memphis Grizzlies team took care of their business against a strong Houston Rockets side in 2019, beating them by a narrow margin of 125-126.
Mike Conley ran the show for the Grizzlies, scoring 35 points and providing 8 assists. Conley was ably assisted by Jonas Valanciunas, who finished the game with 33 points, shooting 10-19 from the field.
James Harden was excellent in that game, putting up 57 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. His three-point shooting was immaculate as he made 9 of his 17 attempts from the deep, but it was not enough to get past the Grizzlies.
#1 - Brooklyn Nets vs Houston Rockets, 2019
In what was one of the best performances of his career, James Harden toyed with a strong Brooklyn Nets defense single-handedly, scoring 58 points, albeit in a losing effort. The Nets won the game 145-142, and that is how excruciatingly close Harden came to helping his side win.
James Harden played 45 minutes in that game, shooting 16-34 from the field. He was aggressive from the tip-off and went to the charity stripe 23 times, converting 21 of those free throws.
For the Brooklyn Nets, the scoring was well distributed, and Spencer Dinwiddie's 33-point performance helped them secure a win against James Harden and co.
