60 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists…These were the astonishing numbers that James Harden put up against the Orlando Magic on this day in 2018. With this inhuman outing by Harden, he not only broke Calvin Murphy’s single-game scoring record for the Rockets, but he became the first player in NBA history to have a 60-point triple double.
James managed to fill the stat sheets with efficiency, 19-of-30 shooting, which is 63% and an almost perfect 17-of-18 from the free throw line! Plus, he only turned the ball over only 5 times. This game surely was one of the defining moments to solidify Harden as the 2017-2018 season MVP. Harden’s comments about this performance on that special night were, “I just gave it all I had tonight”. Clearly, that amount of effort worked out in the Rockets’ favor, ending in a 114-107 home victory.
This showing from James seems to have continued into this current NBA season, as he is making a serious case for back to back MVP honors as he is looking to solidify himself in the record books with a stunning 36.3 ppg! With the season just about at its halfway point, will we see another 60-point James Harden triple double before this season ends?
Nick Engvall
Robbie Falchi