James Harden has reached a new level this season. The former Sixth Man of the Year has been as good as any player in the league, carrying the Houston Rockets to third place in one of the most competitive conferences in years despite not being able to rely on the often-injured Dwight Howard.
Watch James Harden light up the Kings for a career-high 51 points
Harden single-handedly led the Rockets to victory with yet another MVP-worthy performance against Sacramento.
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On Wednesday, he had arguably his best performance yet, dropping 51 points on just 25 shots against the Sacramento Kings in a close win. With only two other players scoring in double digits and horrid nights from the floor for Jason Terry and Corey Brewer, Houston needed every single one of those points.
Harden is known for his efficiency and that was on full display on Wednesday. He took only four shots from mid-range, hit 8-for-9 from three-point range and went to the line 13 times. His shot chart is a perfect reflection of the way the Rockets want to play.
It was anything but a hollow stat line as well, as DeMarcus Cousins logged a triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists in keeping the Kings close. Sacramento cut the lead to two with almost six minutes to go in the final quarter after the Rockets had led by as many as 19 points. Harden scored the next 10 points for Houston, including eight unanswered, to secure the win for his team.
The MVP race continues to look wide open with two weeks to go in the regular season but two candidates seem to have separated themselves from the pack: Harden and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. As great as Curry has been, performances like the one Harden had against the Kings help build a very strong case for the Rockets’ shooting guard as the league’s Most Valuable Player.
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