NBA schedule and results: James Harden lights up the Nuggets

Until then, it’s worth recognizing the ridiculous things they all do on a regular basis. After all, bickering over four worthy candidates leaves less room for appreciation. Not everyone will like Harden’s parade to the stripe, even though he’s practically turned it into an art form, and that’s fine. It can be tedious to watch 25 free throw attempts from a single player. But don’t say that’s all there is to Harden’s game anymore. This 3-pointer he hit to reach the half century mark shows his casual, every day absurdity.

Harden also finished his night with 10 rebounds and four assists in 40 minutes. Every time the Nuggets threatened a comeback, he shut that idea down. This incredible game didn’t look much different from any other one as it played out on Thursday, but that tells the story of his entire season. All we know is that the final month of this MVP race will be incredible.

While the rest of the world was watching college basketball, James Harden went out and dropped 50 points on the Denver Nuggets. (Cue the “BUT NOBODY IN THE NBA PLAYS DEFENSE” responses). If an NBA player scores 50 points on the first night of March Madness, does he really make any sounds? We say yes.

Especially unfair: this is how Harden got to the half-century mark.