James Harden put up his first 50-point night with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and moved closer to Kobe Bryant in the NBA record books.
During the Clippers’ 123-115 win over the Detroit Pistons at Inuit Dome, Harden recorded his 24th career 50-point game, putting him within one of Bryant for third-most in NBA history. As the 35-year-old guard posted 50 for the first time since Dec. 2019, former President Barack Obama was in attendance with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.
“Probably the reason why I played so well,” Harden said afterward.
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Harden is averaging 22.1 points per game this season and has recorded four 40-point games this season. But scoring 50 is a mark that has eluded him since he did so 12 times during the calendar year of 2019, which included reaching 60 points three times.
As Harden closes in on Bryant, he still remains seven 50-point games away from Michael Jordan (31) and 94 from the record holder Wilt Chamberlain (118).
Harden’s 50-point game was the eighth in Clippers’ franchise history and first since Jan. 2018 when Lou Williams did so against the Golden State Warriors. Harden also is part of a group of Clippers players that includes Williams, Bob McAdoo and World B. Free who have posted at least four 40-point games in a season.
He is also the second-oldest NBA player ever to score 50 points on zero days’ rest after putting up 21 points against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
“To see him come out and score 50 on a back-to-back, at the age of 35, just says a lot about him,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “And competing every night and playing 38 minutes again on the back-to-back. But we needed every bit of it.”
Despite the historic night for Harden, he couldn’t get a photo with Obama after the game.
“He left,” Harden said. “I guess he wanted to beat the traffic.”
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