James Harden drops 59 in ridiculously high-scoring win over Wizards

Thomas Lott

James Harden drops 59 in ridiculously high-scoring win over Wizards image

One Houston team did win Wednesday but it was not the one in Minute Maid Park.

The Rockets took down the Wizards in Washington D.C. and did so behind another ridiculous James Harden performance.

The 2017-18 NBA MVP dropped 59 points on 18-of-32 shooting while going 17 of 18 from the free-throw line in a 159-158 win over the Wizards on the road. The 159 points is a Rockets' franchise record.

And Houston needed every single one of those points as Bradley Beal scored 46 of his own on 14-of-20 shooting including 7 of 12 from beyond the 3-point line. The 158 points allowed was not a record.

Russell Westbrook had another triple-double scoring 17 points while adding 12 assists and 10 rebounds and was proud of how the team battled despite the difficulty in stopping the Wizards.

"We had a tough night defensively," Westbrook told reporters, via the Houston Chronicle. "One thing about this team, we don’t quit. We don’t give in, we stayed locked in through all their runs and towards the end of the game.”

Studs of the Night

Tristan Thompson had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the Cavaliers' 117-111 win over the Bulls.

Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds in the Magic's 95-83 win over the Knicks.

Pascal Siakam had 30 points in a 125-113 Raptors win over the Pistons. Andre Drummond had 21 points and 22 rebounds in a losing effort.

Kemba Walker had 32 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Celtics' 116-105 win over the Bucks.

Dud of the Night

Andrew Wiggins had decent offensive numbers with 19 points but the team was minus-27 with him on the floor in the Timberwolves' 117-95 loss to the 76ers.

Highlight

Domantas Sabonis had 29 points and a nifty move to the basket in the Pacers' 118-108 win over the Nets.

What's Next

Nuggets (3-1) at Pelicans (0-4), 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT) — The Pelicans are still trying to get their first win of the year and they welcome a talented and deep Denver team to New Orleans for the late TNT game on Thursday.

Thomas Lott