In March 2020, Houston Rockets star James Harden has made 50-point games seem almost routine. Though he’s only 30 years old, the former MVP already ranks fourth in NBA history with 23 career games of 50 or more points, and he’s led the league in scoring for three straight years.
Five years ago, though, Harden had yet to do it. Then came March 19, 2015, against the Denver Nuggets.
In a 118-108 victory (box score), Harden scored 50 points on 12-of-27 shooting (44.4%), and he also secured a team-high 10 rebounds. Perhaps best of all, Harden did it in front of an assortment of franchise legends in the front rows at Toyota Center — since the Rockets were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1994-95 title team that night.
“That’s a special group right there,” Harden said that night of the former players’ presence, headlined by Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. “We’re trying to build something special like they did, [and] to play a game in front of them was definitely an honor.”
For the anniversary, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke in an on-court ceremony at halftime, as did former head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and several other franchise icons. That made for a rare gameday experience and a longer-than-usual halftime for both teams, but it didn’t cool off Harden — who scored 16 points in the fourth and final quarter.
The win improved Houston to 46-22 on the season, and they finished at 56-26 — good for the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference.
“Obviously, he’s probably the MVP this year in the NBA,” Denver guard Randy Foye said of Harden, who added 22 free throws. “He did an unbelievable job of creating and also getting to the free-throw line.”
The league’s players went on to vote for Harden as the league’s MVP at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season.
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