NBA names Rockets’ James Harden as West Player of the Month

James Harden was named West Player of the Month for December after averaging over 37 points per game and leading Houston to a 10-4 record.

The NBA on Thursday announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Month for games played in December.

It’s the ninth time in Harden’s storied career for him to receive the monthly award, which is chosen by the league office. All have come over the 30-year-old’s eight seasons with the Rockets.

Dating back to last season, Harden has now won four of the past six West Player of the Month awards.

Over 14 games in December, Harden averaged 37.3 points per game on efficient shooting percentages of 48.1% overall and 42.5% on 3-pointers. The future Hall of Famer had five games with 40 or more points and three games with 50 or more points.

The 2018 MVP also averaged 6.9 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 38.5 minutes per game. In addition to his scoring exploits, Harden joined Detroit big man Andre Drummond as the only NBA players to average at least 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in December.

The Rockets were 10-4 (.714) in the 14 December games played by Harden, which would be good for a 59-win pace over a full season.

Harden had 54 points at Orlando on Dec. 13 after scoring 55 at Cleveland on Dec. 11, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to have scored at least 54 points in consecutive road games in NBA history.

Harden also hit a franchise-high tying 10 3-pointers in both of those games, joining Stephen Curry as the only players with 10 or more makes from 3-point range in two straight games.

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Over the final 10 games of December, Harden shot 52.6% from the floor, including 50.0% or better in each of the past six games β€” representing the longest such streak of his career. He has shot 50.0% or better in 15 of his 32 games played (46.9%) this season after doing so in 23 of his 78 games played (29.5%) in the 2018-19 season.

Harden also hit at least four 3-pointers in each of his final 10 games of December, with an average of 6.4 made 3-pointers per game over that span on 49.6% shooting from behind the arc.

In 34 games for the Rockets (23-11), Harden has hit 171 total 3-pointers this season. By comparison, no other player in league history has had more than 146 made 3-pointers through the first 34 games of a season.

For the 2019-20 season overall, Harden is averaging a league-leading 38.2 points per game, which is the highest total of any player in the last 56 years. He’s also in the NBA’s top 10 in assists at 7.5 per game.

Other West finalists for the December award included forwards LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers; guard Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks; forward Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers; guard Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns; and guard Dennis SchrΓΆder of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Meanwhile, 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for December. In 15 games, the Milwaukee forward averaged 29.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, with the Bucks posting a 13-2 record over that stretch.

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