Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden scored a franchise record 55 points en route to leading his team to a 131-116 road win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday afternoon.
Harden scored 27 points in the first quarter alone. He nearly outscored the Hornets, who had 30 points in the first 12 minutes.
Harden made 10-of-16 three-pointers and had five made threes in the first frame. He shot 17-of-26 overall, 11-of-14 from the free throw line and added seven assists to his final line.
Harden had 35 points in the first half en route to his 55, which matches the league’s high-water mark this season alongside Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Per ESPN News Services, the Clipper franchise record for single-game scoring was previously 52 points, met by Bob McAdoo and Charles Smith.
Harden now has 25 career 50-point games, and that ties him with Kobe Bryant for the third-most in NBA history. His career-high is 61 points, which he did twice in Jan. 2019 against the New York Knicks and March 2019 versus the San Antonio Spurs.
A 55-point game is a remarkable accomplishment, but this was an impressive effort for someone in his 17th NBA season. He was humble and happy after the game, noting how glad he was that the Clippers won and also saying that “basketball is life.”
The Clippers are enduring a brutal start that has them just 5-11 through 16 games. Harden gives them hope for a potential turnaround, though, with his sensational play.
Harden is now averaging 28.4 points, 8.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds. He’ll look to keep his torrid pace and lead the Clippers to another win on Sunday when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.
