Ox 51

Musclechemistry Guru
Jason Owens,Yahoo Sports•January 23, 2019

Stop us if you’ve heard this before.

OK, don’t. Because it’s likely to keep happening.

But James Harden had another huge scoring night. And this time he flirted with a Madison Square Garden scoring record in the building where so many of the game’s greats have shined brightly.

Harden falls 1 point short of MSG record

The Houston Rockets guard scored 61 points on Wednesday in a 114-110 win over the New York Knicks.

Harden had 49 points through three quarters and appeared ready to threaten Carmelo Anthony’s arena record of 62 points. But his 12-point fourth quarter in a back-and-forth game ensured that Anthony’s record would stand.

It’s still another remarkable night for Harden despite the now commonplace sight of him scoring in the 40s and 50s.

“These are some of the best fans in the world,” Harden said in his postgame interview regarding playing in New York. “Every time you come to the Garden, you’ve got to put on a show. They expect it. And that’s what I gave them.”



Harden hits multiple milestones

While he didn’t get the arena record, Harden crossed off multiple remarkable milestones with the performance. His 61 points marked a career-high in addition to being a Rockets franchise record. He also tied Kobe Bryant for the most points by a visitor at Madison Square Garden.

He got to 61 with a game-sealing steal and fast break dunk in the game’s final seconds that extended Houston’s lead to four points.

Harden finished with 61 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. He hit 17-of-38 field goals, including 5-of-20 3-pointers while shooting 22-of-25 from the line.
 
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