Harden’s vaunted 3s fall flat as 30-point run ends
James Harden scores 28 points on 7-for-21 shooting vs. the Hawks as his streak of scoring 30+ points ends at 32 games. (1:47)
James Harden‘s streak of scoring at least 30 points in a game ended at 32 on Monday night when the Houston guard scored 28 points in the Rockets‘ 119-11 win over Atlanta.
Harden returned after missing Saturday’s win over Golden State with a neck injury. His run of games with 30 or more points was the second-longest in NBA history behind a 65-game streak by Wilt Chamberlain.
Harden, who said he was still bothered by the neck problem Monday morning, shot 7-of-21 overall and missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts. This was the fourth time Harden has gone 0-for-10 or worse from 3; that’s the most in NBA history and twice as many games as any other player (Stephen Curry twice, Antoine Walker twice).
Atlanta rookie Trae Young outscored James Harden 36-28. He’s the first rookie to outscore Harden since Karl-Anthony Towns on March 18, 2016. Towns scored 32, Harden scored 29. Rookies have had 157 opportunities to outscore Harden since.
Harden last came up short of 30 points in a Dec. 11 win over Portland, when he had 29. During the streak, he scored 50 or more points four times, including a career-high 61 in a win at the Knicks on Jan. 23.
The Rockets are now 6-7 this season when Harden plays and doesn’t score 30 (26-16 when he scores 30).