Harden ties 2nd-longest 30-point streak since NBA-ABA merger
It came in a losing effort, but Houston Rockets guard James Harden's incredible scoring streak continued Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.
The reigning Most Valuable Player dropped 42 points in a 116-109 defeat to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. Wednesday marked the 14th game in a row in which Harden scored 30 or more points, tying Tracy McGrady for the second-longest such streak since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77.
The Beard (30 PTS) euro-steps through!
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2019
Make it 14 straight games with 30+PTS for James Harden!#Rockets 82#FearTheDeer 81
WATCH on @ESPN pic.twitter.com/3ZhE6e0l0V
Longest streaks of 30-plus points
| Player | First | Last | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kobe Bryant | 1/29/03 | 02/28/03 | 16 |
| Tracy McGrady | 03/05/03 | 04/01/03 | 14 |
| James Harden | 12/13/18 | 01/09/19 | 14 |
| Moses Malone | 01/26/82 | 02/23/82 | 13 |
| Kevin Durant | 01/07/14 | 01/29/14 | 12 |
| Michael Jordan | 02/13/87 | 03/04/87 | 11 |
| World B. Free | 01/02/80 | 01/23/80 | 11 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 03/28/01 | 04/17/01 | 11 |
(Courtesy: Basketball-Reference)
Harden needed 30 shots to reach 42 points to go along with 11 rebounds, six assists, a pair of steals, one rejection, and a whopping nine turnovers.
He also converted 6-of-16 from 3-point range, improving his league-record streak of games with five or more makes from behind the arc to 11.
Harden's last 14 games
| Date | Opponent | Points | 3-pointers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12/13/18 | Lakers | 50 | 4 |
| 12/15/18 | Grizzlies | 32 | 3 |
| 12/17/18 | Jazz | 47 | 4 |
| 12/19/18 | Wizards | 35 | 6 |
| 12/20/18 | Heat | 35 | 6 |
| 12/22/18 | Spurs | 39 | 7 |
| 12/25/18 | Thunder | 41 | 5 |
| 12/27/18 | Celtics | 45 | 9 |
| 12/29/18 | Pelicans | 41 | 7 |
| 12/31/18 | Grizzlies | 43 | 6 |
| 01/03/19 | Warriors | 44 | 10 |
| 01/05/19 | Trail Blazers | 38 | 5 |
| 01/07/19 | Nuggets | 32 | 6 |
| 01/09/19 | Bucks | 42 | 6 |