Houston superstar James Harden and Hawks guard Trae Young made history in Wednesday’s 122-115 win (box score) by the Rockets at Atlanta with the first pair of 40-point triple doubles in the same game.
Harden had 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in 40 minutes for the Rockets, while Atlanta’s second-year guard had 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in 39 minutes. Both made four 3-pointers.
Neither player was particularly efficient, with Harden shooting 9-of-34 (26.5%) and Young at 11-of-30 (36.7%). Houston’s former MVP started hot with 22 points in the first quarter on 6-of-10 shooting, but cooled dramatically as the game moved along.
However, both stars had some extinuating circumstances that required them to take on a significant burden for their rosters.
James Harden picked up his 15th 40-point triple-double (2nd-most in NBA history) and Trae Young had the first 40-point triple-double in Hawks history.
According to @EliasSports, tonight marks the first time with two 40-point triple-doubles in the same game in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/gfcXd4h8xS
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 9, 2020
The Rockets appeared rusty after a rare four-day off stretch, making just 13-of-45 shots (28.9%) from 3-point range overall. Moreover, Harden’s backcourt mate, Russell Westbrook, sat out for planned maintenance on the front end of a back-to-back sequence of games.
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For Harden, it’s the 15th triple-double with 40+ points of his eventual Hall of Fame career, which ranks second in NBA history.
Young, on the other hand, was carrying a Hawks squad that was largely overmatched on paper — which led to him facing a healthy share of help defenders from the Rockets late in the game.
It was the first 40-point triple-double of Young’s career and the first in he history of the Atlanta franchise.
Both guards helped make up for their subpar shooting by repeatedly getting to the foul line, with Harden and Young shooting 19-of-23 (82.6%) and 16-of-18 (88.9%) from the stripe, respectively.
The Hawks fell to 8-30 with the home loss. The Rockets won their third consecutive game and fourth of five to improve to 25-11.
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