https://www.nba.com/rockets/news/james-harden-named-western-conference-player-month-january HOUSTON – Today, the NBA announced that Houston Rockets guard James Harden was named KIA NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for January. It is the second straight month he has received the honor and the seventh time in his career, all coming as a Rocket. That is the most by any player in franchise history. For the month, Harden averaged 43.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.07 steals, and 1.21 blocks. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that marked the seventh-highest scoring average in a single month in NBA history with a minimum of 10 games played. Wilt Chamberlain holds the top six spots. Harden totaled 610 points, 122 rebounds, and 106 assists in January. According to ESPN, he became the fourth player with at least 600 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a single month. Dating back to 1972-73, Michael Jordan (March of 1987) was the only other player to have scored 600-plus points in a single month. Harden joined Chamberlain (November of 1961) as the only players to have scored at least 600 points in a single month while playing fewer than 15 games. According to ESPN, Harden’s scoring and points off assists accounted for an average of 61.9 points in January, making him the first player to average above 60 in a single month. Harden’s combined points and points off assists generated at least 50 points in an NBA record 19 straight games from Dec. 13 through Jan. 19 per Elias. Harden has scored 30-plus points in each of the past 24 games, which is the fourth-longest streak in NBA history. Chamberlain holds the top three streaks of 65, 31, and 25 games. Harden has also led the Rockets and their opponent in scoring in each of those 24 games, which is the second-longest streak in NBA history, according to ESPN. Chamberlain had a 40-game streak. In addition, Harden has scored at least 35 points in each of the past 11 games. That is the fifth-longest streak in NBA history and the second-longest by a player not named Chamberlain. Kobe Bryant did so over a 13-game span during 2002-03. Harden has scored 35-plus points in 21 of the past 22 games (32 points vs. Denver on Jan. 7). Harden is averaging 40.2 points over the past 28 games. According to Elias, that is the third-longest stretch of averaging 40-plus points in NBA history. Only Chamberlain (515) and Elgin Baylor (33) did so over a longer span. Harden has scored 40-plus points 18 times in 47 games played this season. That is the most by a player through the first 47 games played in a season since Michael Jordan did so 23 times in 1986-87. The Rockets opened the New Year with a win at Golden State on Jan. 3. Harden had 44 points, 15 assists, and 10 rebounds while hitting a franchise-high tying 10 3-pointers, including the game-winning shot with 2.7 seconds left in overtime. On Jan. 11 vs. Cleveland, Harden had 43 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes and 34 seconds of play. Per Elias, he became the first player in NBA history to record a 40-point triple-double while playing fewer than 30 minutes in a game. Harden scored 58 points vs. Brooklyn on Jan. 16 after having 57 points in 34 minutes of play vs. Memphis on Jan. 14. He joined Chamberlain as the only players to have scored 55-plus points in consecutive games. At New York on Jan. 23, Harden had a franchise-high 61 points with 15 rebounds and 5 steals. He became the first player to record at least 60 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 steals since steals became an official statistic in 1973-74. Harden also became the fifth player in NBA history to record multiple 60-point games. Harden scored a total of 261 points over a five-game span from Jan. 14 through Jan. 23. According to Elias, that was the second-highest five-game total over the past 50 seasons, trailing 268 points by Bryant in March of 2007. Harden averaged 52.2 points over those five games, tying for the second-longest stretch of averaging 50-plus points in NBA history. Chamberlain did so over a span of 116 games. For the season, Harden is averaging 36.3 points, 8.1 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.09 steals. He is on pace to become the first player to have averaged at least 35.0 ppg and 8.0 apg in a single season. Jordan (1988-89) is the only player to have averaged at least 30.0 ppg, 8.0 apg, 5.0 rpg and 2.00 spg in a single season. Dating back to 1964-65, Jordan (37.1 ppg in 1986-97) is the only player to have averaged at least 36.0 ppg in a single season. Harden was recently voted as a starter for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game It is the third straight year that he has been named a starter. Harden has been named an All-Star in each of his seven seasons as a Rocket. Last season, Harden was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player after leading the Rockets to a franchise-record 65 wins. He finished second in voting for the award in both 2014-15 and 2016-17. Harden is the only player to be a unanimous All-NBA First Team selection in each of the past two seasons.
People like wrestling, The Challenge, and the show Snowfall. Wrestling more so has been able to generate around 1.4 million people with two brands of NXT and AEW on Wednesdays. The NBA has just been very boring for a regular season look. It will get back during the playoffs.
doris burke said it best during tonights telecast, harden wont be appreciated until he is long retired from the league. What curry is doing is impressive if i hadnt already seen it before from harden. The funny thing is based on the narrative curry has now from espn and nba writers. If curry had the season harden had in 2019 he for sure would have won mvp over giannis. Harden career should be way more illustrious than it is, and would be if harden played back when the players and not the media voted for league mvp
i blame the media for the lack of intrest in the regular season, the media actively encourages players to sit games when they are healthy. Fans are paying their hard earned money to see their favorite players play, and harden used to get critisized for back in 2017 for playing too much.. SAD
good player, but this is the first time in history a player is labeled a top 3 player universally without winning games. I cant place him over harden, jokic, durant, lebron, hell even lillard because they are winning games as the lead guy. The nets completely fall apart without harden. He is the engine of the offense and produces wins in the regular season at a rate second only to lebron in the past decade For nate duncan to rate harden the 11th best player in the league on his recent podcast and curry the 3rd best just goes in the line with the blatant colorism that exsist among nba writers and analysts
harden won player of the month in february and march with the NETS lol but the question remains how many player of the week and player of the month awards has harden been robbed of when he was with houston. I remmeber carmelo winning player of the week after harden averaged 45 and went 2-1 in a week lol, their are countless others doncic winning player of the month over harden that one december was also a joke. their are so many awards harden has been robbed of from mvp's to an all nba selection. Just not the right shade for some voters. They cant pull this with lebron and to a certain extent durant( because durant will go back at em). But what pisses me off with harden is he just takes it, and doesnt speak up. The narrative around hardens defense still hasnt changed even though harden played amazing defense in 2019 and 2020
1. Good player? Ok I see you just don't like dude... 2. You don't think Curry is the lead guy and always has been for GSW? The 2nd year with KD , I'd agree KD was the man but other than that year? 3. Also I don't think he's top 3 but I think he's top 3 in MVP voting this year because of all the injuries to other candidates
I've posted that the answer is an obvious yes a few times, and it still is. Its not a very talented group he has this year, so the 8th seed/play in is commendable and he deserves credit.
nope i dont like curry but im just one person, harden has haters that actually vote on awards. currys haters are nba players who have no say on who wins what
bullshit, he has the same or equal talent to what harden had for much of 2019. harden won 53 games and damn near had the 2nd seed if not for a last second 3 by paul george againist us on the final day of the season STOP MAKING EXCUSES FOR CURRY FOR WHY HE AINT WINNING GAMES, harden averaged 29/7/6 made the playoffs in 2016 and DID NOT MAKE AN ALL NBA TEAM
first of all...calm down. Second, if you think the current GSW roster is equal to the 2019 rockets, you are letting the narrative get the best of you. You are salty over the rivalry years...Steph is a unanimous all time great...period.
He's not my all time great....he is considered by the majority of basketball people to be an all time great..and if by carry you mean win one round in the bubble by beating a mediocre thunder team in 7....yes he could People forget that Dort locked Harden up for the majority of that series and if it wasn't for the supporting cast we don't win it.
andrew wiggins and kelly oubre are proven 19 ppg scorers, looney gave capela all he could handle in that 2019 series, draymond is a defensive savant and quarterbacks the offense for them. what am i missing stop making excuses for why the wins aint there
steph fans live in the moment, when harden and curry retire.. they will most likley be 1 and 2 all time in 3 point makes, but harden will have curry beat in career points, rebounds, steals, assists, blocks, all star team selections, all nba teams. and should have more mvps if not for the biased media that harden has had to go up againist https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/stephen_curry_vs_james_harden.htm and the only reason why steph is ahead on scoring average in the playoffs compared to harden is because of hardens okc days, if you just count curry and harden from 2013 when curry made the playffs for the first time and harden was leading houston for the first time. harden averages (28.4) compared to curry (26.4)
Curry gave up scoring to play with Durant, that's clear. When he's the lone top-scorer, he's similarly capable as evidenced in 2016 and this year. Golden States employs a system of player movement. No one is going to avg more than 8 assists. Ast #s is highly dependent on the system. Incidentally, Curr might approach 10apg under Marc Jackson, based on the trajectory. When Harden plays w/ other scorers, he adjusts his game to lower scoring too, and he's appointed to have the playmaker role, which he excels at very much. Harden accumulates more on counting stats, but Curry runs much more per game, this "stat" impacts the game even more, and is often overlooked.
