NBA

James Harden Joins Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Wilt Chamberlain in a Rare Scoring Feat

by
Debdutta Sinha
March 18, 2021

James Harden is undoubtedly one of the most talented players the NBA has seen in recent times. Since he has joined the Brooklyn Nets in January, his performances have skyrocketed even further. He scored another triple-double on Wednesday to take the game away from the Indiana Pacers.

“The Beard” finished with 40 points in this game. He also racked up 15 assists and 10 rebounds. With this 40-point haul, he became only the fourth player in the history of the league to record 100 40-point games in their career.

James Harden became the 4th player in NBA history with 100 40-point games.

Nothing but professional bucket getters 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mIBLMehO6z

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 18, 2021

Harden now joins an elite club of Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant. There have been some doubters who said that Harden might never reach the heights he did in 2018-19. Now, however, all those doubts have been put to bed.

James Harden finding his feet at the Nets

The Brooklyn Nets cruised to a comfortable 124-115 victory against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. Apart from the incredible individual effort from Harden, Joe Harris and Nic Claxton also contributed to the game. Harris scored 19 points and recorded 4 rebounds while Claxton came off the bench and scored 10.

In the post-game press conference, Harden was asked to talk about his contribution to this game. He said, “It’s not even about the triple-double. It’s about our effort, especially in that second half. We did an unbelievable job defensively and just getting after it. That’s it and being down 15 points on the road against a pretty solid team, showed fight and resilience. It’s a great team win for us.”

40 PTS / 15 AST / 10 REB

Running out of ways to describe how good @JHarden13 is, so here, just watch the highlights 📼 pic.twitter.com/hkfOEm0lJO

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 18, 2021

“The Beard” is steadily climbing up the MVP ladder this season. In a scenario dominated by the likes of Joel Embiid and LeBron James, Harden has quietly snuck up just behind them. Now it is just a matter of time and team performances to see who emerges victorious.

The Brooklyn Nets are second in the playoff standings. They are well in contention for the playoff spots and are on a roll with a winning streak of six games. They have 9-1 in their last 10 games. Many critics have touted them as the next championship-winning team. With players like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving in their ranks, the Nets will be looking forward to performing well in the postseason.