James Harden wins second straight Player of the Week award

After averaging nearly 45 points per game during a 4-0 week for the Rockets, James Harden won his second straight Player of the Week award.

For a second straight week, the NBA announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games from Monday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 17 (Week 4).

It is the 30-year-old’s second Player of the Week award of the 2019-20 season and the 24th of his career, all coming in Houston.

The Rockets went 4-0 on the week, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11 points per game. In those games, Harden averaged 44.8 points (45.8% shooting), 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 40.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15 three-pointers per game and made 40% of those, despite the extreme volume.

Harden has hit 63 overall three-pointers this season, marking the second-highest total through the first 13 games in NBA history.

In total, Harden has scored a total of 513 points in 480 minutes of play this season.  That is the highest total through the first 13 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain had 696 in 1962-63.

Harden is averaging 19.7 first-half points and 19.8 second-half points. His first-half average would tie him for 26th on the NBA’s scoring list this season, while his second-half average would rank him 24th.

Three of the four Houston wins came versus opponents with winning records, including a victory over Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers and followed up by wins on both ends of a weekend back-to-back against Indiana at home and then at Minnesota.

In those wins, Harden has also provided consistent value on the defensive end — with the Rockets regularly faring better with their former Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the floor.

Harden’s 39.5-point scoring average is 9.4 more than the second-ranked NBA player among qualifiers. By comparison, the league’s No. 2 scorer (Bradley Beal) and No. 19 scorer (Russell Westbrook) are separated by less than that, at 9.1 points.

Overall, the Rockets are 10-3 this season and winners of seven consecutive games, with Harden ranking first in the league in points (39.5) and sixth in assists (7.8). In last year’s 2018-19 campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 35.0 points and 7.0 assists in a single season.

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