James Harden ties career-high with 61 points, joining some elite company as Rockets hold off Spurs' comeback

Benyam Kidane

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James Harden ties career-high with 61 points, joining some elite company as Rockets hold off Spurs' comeback image

James Harden continues to add to his MVP case with another ridiculous scoring outburst, leading the Houston Rockets to a 111-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Harden poured in a career-high 61 points, seven rebounds and one assist, tying his effort against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden earlier this season. He now has three career 60-point games, tying Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history with three or more career 60-point games.

His 61 came on 19-of-34 shooting from the field, 9-of-13 from the three-point line and 14-of-17 at the free throw line. In the process, Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA's all-time three-pointers made list, passing Joe Johnson.


Harden was in the zone from the jump, exploding for 27 points in the first quarter, the most he's ever scored in a single quarter, tying him with Brooklyn Nets point guard D'Angelo Russell for the most points scored in a single quarter so far this season.

Harden shot 7-for-10 in the opening quarter, 3-for-4 from the three-point line and 10-for-12 from the free throw line.


He finished with 37 points for the half as the Rockets estabished a 62-47 lead.

San Antonio came out of the break with a renewed defensive energy, trapping Harden on the perimeter as they tried to force the ball out of his hands. While #13 kept finding ways to score, his teammates struggled to get going and by the end of the third quarter, Harden's teammates combined to shoot just  14-of-43 from the field.

The Spurs outscored the Rockets 34-19 in the third quarter, shooting a sizzling 59.1% from the field, entering the fourth quarter tied at 81-81.

With the Spurs leading 100-94 with 4:13 remaining in the fourth, Harden found an extra gear, going on a personal 13-2 run, knocking down back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to swing the game back in Houston's favour. 


After Harden's outburst, the Rockets took a 107-102 lead with 1:25 left, hanging on to seal the W in front of a raucous Toyota Center crowd.

Harden has now scored 118 points over his past two games, after dropping 57 points in a close loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

With the win, the third-placed Rockets move to 46-27 on the season, giving them a 1.0 game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Benyam Kidane

Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor and has been covering the league for The Sporting News since 2016. In his spare time you can find him watching Allen Iverson highlights on repeat.