DeMar DeRozan thinks James Harden could score 100 in a game

Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan says he thinks Rockets guard James Harden could score 100 points in a single NBA game, if he put his mind to it.

If Houston Rockets star James Harden is hot enough to score 60 points in just three quarters — as he did Saturday versus Atlanta — just imagine what might he could do at that efficiency over a full game.

Fellow NBA star DeMar DeRozan, who became a childhood friend of Harden when both players were growing up near Los Angeles, may have an idea. With Harden’s Rockets visiting DeRozan’s San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, the four-time All-Star made quite a proclamation to San Antonio Express-News beat writer Jeff McDonald.

Speaking of Harden, who like DeRozan is now 30 years old, DeRozan said:

I’m pretty sure if he put his mind to it, he could score 100.

100 points, of course, stands as the all-time high for points in a single game by an NBA player — set by Wilt Chamberlain on March 2, 1962. The more modern record is 81 by Kobe Bryant on Jan. 22, 2006.

As wild as it might sound, DeRozan isn’t alone in his thinking. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose recently predicted that Harden would score 90 points in a game this season.

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Beyond just getting hot in a given game, there are some statistical reasons to believe Harden could pull it off. Consider that last year, Harden didn’t reach peak form until his legendary 32-game streak of scoring 30+ points, which began Dec. 13. Prior to that date, Harden averaged 30.0 points per game. From Dec. 13 onward, he averaged 38.7 points.

If Harden improves at a similar rate as the 2019-20 season progresses, there’s no telling what he might be able to do. Entering December, he’s already averaging a league-leading 38.9 points per game, which is even higher than his torrid stretch to finish last year. Should he improve at anything close to a similar rate, it would be silly to rule anything out.

Opponents reacted to Harden’s epic scoring run to begin the 2019-20 season with more frequent double teams, but the Rockets have recently had more success countering those — as we saw early versus Atlanta.

In turn, that might lead to more isolation opportunities for Harden in the games ahead. That certainly happened after halftime Saturday, when Harden scored 29 points in the third quarter alone.

Harden’s current career-high scoring mark is 61 points. He last set that in March against, of all teams, DeRozan and the Spurs. That could make for a fun matchup Tuesday in San Antonio, as far as scoring potential.

At the moment, the Spurs (7-14) rank No. 26 in defensive rating, while the Rockets (13-6) are No. 2 in offensive rating. Harden attempts more three-pointers than any other NBA player, and the Spurs’ current mark of 39.1% allowed on threes is second-worst in the league. Furthermore, Harden and the Rockets will enter the game on two days of rest.

There are no guarantees, but on paper, it certainly looks like a favorable matchup for the former Most Valuable Player (MVP). DeRozan obviously hopes that history won’t be made against his team, but it doesn’t sound as if he’d be shocked if it somehow was.

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