That other Houston-Washington game: Everything to know from a 317-point night
While the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals were staging an epic World Series Game 7 in Houston, the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards were playing one of the most incredible NBA games in recent memory, packed with enough historic milestones to fill a record book.
In the end, James Harden‘s 59 points turned out to be just enough to lift the Rockets to a 159-158 victory on a night that few who witnessed the action will ever forget. Here are the stats, facts and figures you need to know.
It’s not often that you see a team score 158 points in regulation and lose. In fact, prior to Wednesday, it had happened exactly once in NBA history: Nov. 2, 1990, when the Paul Westhead-coached Denver Nuggets fell to the Run-TMC Golden State Warriors 162-158.
This was the third non-OT game in NBA history in which both teams scored at least 155 points. It was the third game in NBA history in which both teams made at least 20 3-pointers. The Rockets’ 159 points were the fourth-most in regulation in a road game in NBA history.
The two teams combined for 89 points in the fourth quarter, the most in a fourth quarter since the Pacers and Celtics put up 90 on April 11, 1994. The Wizards led by 12 with 7:53 left, and the Rockets proceeded to outscore them 38-25 down the stretch. Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for more points (27) than the entire Wizards team in that span.
Oh, and for the gamblers in the audience, the over/under for the game was 234. Washington and Houston cleared that by 84 points.
Although his missed free throw with 2.2 seconds remaining left him one point shy of 60 — and snapped a streak of 38 consecutive made free throws — Harden completed his 19th career 50-point game. Only Wilt Chamberlain (118), Michael Jordan (25) and Kobe Bryant (25) have more. Harden has 10 50-point games since the start of last season; no other player has more than two.
Harden also continues to do his best work on the road. This was his third career 55-point game away from home, tied for third-most in NBA history, behind only that of Chamberlain (31) and Jordan (4).
While James Harden was getting buckets, Russell Westbrook messed around and got a triple-double … again. It’s the 140th of his career, second only to Oscar Robertson’s tally. Westbrook has racked up 103 of those since the start of the 2016-17 season. That’s more than the next three players on the list — LeBron James (39), Harden (33), Nikola Jokic (30) — have combined in that span.
Westbrook and Harden also combined to make some history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Harden’s 59 points were the fourth-most in a game in which a teammate had a triple-double. The players ahead of him? Wilt Chamberlain (twice) and Elgin Baylor. The NBA hadn’t seen a game like this since 1969.
Harden and Westbrook scored or assisted on 128 of the Rockets’ 159 points.
The Wizards’ lone star did everything he could to lead Washington to a win but came up just short, finishing with 46 points, six rebounds and eight assists. Coincidentally, the most recent player to have at least 45 points in a game in which an opponent had 55 was also a Wizard. Gilbert Arenas dropped 45 against Kobe Bryant, who had 60, on Dec. 17, 2006. However, on that night, the Arenas-led Wizards came away with a victory.
Add Westbrook’s triple-double to the mix, and it’s just the second instance in NBA history of three players having 55-plus points, 45-plus points and a triple-double in a game. In 1961, Wilt Chamberlain had 78 points, Elgin Baylor had 63 points, and Jerry West had a triple-double.
This was Beal’s third career game with at least 45 points, tied for fifth in Washington history. The player he’s tied with? Michael Jordan.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.