What is James Harden’s highest scoring game in the NBA?

James Harden during Brooklyn Nets v Detroit Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden is widely regarded as one of the most lethal scorers that the NBA has ever seen. While there might be a range of issues with his game at the defensive end of the court, Harden is an attacking beast capable of scoring in a variety of ways and helping his teammates get easy buckets as well.

The Nets have allowed him to operate primarily as a point-guard, which helps him find space and players in space. Before his injury, Harden was firmly in the MVP conversation and was leading the league in both points and assists until around the middle of March. Regardless, his most prolific game so far came during his lengthy Houston Rockets spell. In this article, we look at everything you need to know about James Harden’s highest ever scoring return from an NBA match.

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What is James Harden’s top-score as an NBA player?

James Harden scored a career-high 61 points against the New York Knicks at MSG Stadium back in January 2019. He tied none other than Kobe Bryant for the record for the highest score by a visiting NBA player at the MSG. The record for the highest-point total in a single game belongs to Carmelo Anthony, who scored 62 points against the then Charlotte Bobcats in January 2014. Two months later, Harden went on to score 61 again against the San Antonio Spurs.

Harden played a total of 40 minutes against the Knicks on January 23rd, finishing with a huge double-double. He tallied 61 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals despite only getting 17 of his overall 38 shots on target on the night, making for an efficiency of just under 45%. Additionally, Harden converted 5 3-point attempts out of an attempted 20.

James Harden during his Houston Rockets days

He was able to score 61 thanks to the New York Knicks’ giving him a fair number of chances from the free throw line, something he has been elite at right from the start of his career. On the night, Harden won 25 free throws and converted 22 of them, helping his side to a close 4-point victory.

Against the Spurs, James Harden was better with his shooting, and converted 9 of his 13 three-point attempts with an overall efficiency of almost 56%. Again, he got a total of 17 free throws and was able to convert 14 of them to finish with 61 points and tie his own scoring-high.

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The nine-time All-Star Harden got all but one of his callups whilst playing for the Houston Rockets, a team that he led to the Playoffs a consecutive 8 times during his stint. This season, the Brooklyn Nets are again one of the favorites to win the NBA championship. They will be hoping to see a healthy James Harden leading them all the way alongside the talented Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who has had issues of his own in recent weeks.

Also Read: How much is James Harden’s Net Worth in 2021?

James Harden’s second-highest-scoring game

In his 14-year NBA tenure, James Harden has cemented himself as a certified bucket-getter in the NBA, dropping 40 points on every NBA team except the Houston Rockets. The level at which he scores is Micheal Jordanesque, and only a few could replicate it.

Harden’s second-highest highest points scored in an NBA game is 60, which he did on two occasions:

During the 2019-20 NBA Season, in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, Harden casually dropped 60 points in 31 minutes on 16/24 shooting from the field. The final score was 158-111 as the Rockets obliterated the Hawks.

But what if I told you that wasn’t Harden’s best performance ever?

During the 2017-18 NBA season, against the Orlando Magic in a regular season game, Harden exploded for the first-ever 60-point triple-double. The Rockets All-Star guard grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 11 assists while shooting 63.3% from the field.