NBA 2018-19: 3 best individual performances so far

Two months of NBA action is in the history books and we have seen some sensational performances during this period. LeBron James had his first 50-point game with the Los Angeles Lakers after scoring 51 points against the Miami Heat.

Blake Griffin had a career-high 50 points in the win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Kevin Durant had a standout performance against the Toronto Raptors on the road, in the absence of Stephen Curry, and scored 51 points. Let us take a look at three best individual performances so far this season.

#3 Klay Thompson

Headband Klay erupted for 52 points in Chicago. Credit: USA Today

Stat line: 52 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals on 62.1 % shooting

Klay Thompson did not have a great start to the 2018-19 NBA season and was struggling to get it going from his favourite region, the three-point line. After a string of poor performances, there was a lot of pressure on him and everyone expected him to go off sooner than later.

Quite expectedly, Thompson erupted for 52 points in Chicago when the Warriors played the Bulls at the United Center. He hit a record-breaking 14 three-pointers in the game and went 18-for-29 from the field.

The Bulls defense had no answer for the 28-year-old as he was knocking them down from anywhere on the court. Thompson started the night hot and scored 22 points in the first quarter and the Warriors took a 44-28 lead over the Bulls at the end of first quarter.

He then followed it up with a 14-point performance in the second quarter and the Warriors entered half-time with a huge 42-point lead. In the third quarter, he scored 16 points and ended the game with just over 26 minutes of action. He was on the bench for the entire fourth quarter as the Warriors were already dominating the Bulls.

#2 James Harden

James Harden had himself a great night but the Rockets fell short of victory

Stat line: 54 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, and 3 steals on 53.1 % shooting

James Harden's show in the NBA continues and the defending MVP has picked up from where he left off and is posting huge numbers every night. Even though the Houston Rockets are in the bottom half of the table, Harden has been doing all he could to lead them to victory.

Harden has had two 50-point games in the season already and the Rockets are expected to make it to the playoffs even though the things are not looking good as of now. In the game against the Washington Wizards on the road, the 29-year-old had his best game of the season so far when he dropped 54 points.

This includes his explosive 21-points in the third quarter which helped the Rockets take a 98-94 lead at the end of three quarters. Harden only had 4 points in overtime, though, and the Wizards got the 130-125 win.

However, the 6-time consecutive All-Star was dominant for the most part of the game and went 17-for-32 from the field, including 7-for-15 from distance.

#1 Kemba Walker

Kemba Walker's 60 points could not lead the Hornets to victory

Stat line: 60 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals on 61.7 % shooting

Kemba Walker has been sensational this season and is scoring like it is nothing. After a rare off-night, scoring just 7 points in the blowout loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kemba scored a career-high 60 points against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Hornets could not get the win.

Walker had 23 points in the first half but the 76ers were leading by 7 points at halftime. In the third quarter, the 28-year-old exploded for 16 points and the Hornets stormed back to take an 86-82 lead after three quarters.

However, the 76ers would tie the game at the end of the regulation period and the game would eventually go into overtime. In overtime, Walker only scored 2 points and the 76ers picked up the win on a game-winning three-pointer from Jimmy Butler.

The 2-time NBA All-Star finished the night with 60 points on 21-for-34 shooting, including 6-for-14 from behind the arc. He also had 7 rebounds to go along with 4 assists.