Houston Rockets: James Harden’s 15 most captivating performances

5. November 5, 2017

Line: 56 points, 13 assists, 19-25 field goals, 7-8 3-pointers, 11-12 free throws, +25

In November 2017 the Houston Rockets were expected to be a really good team that had little shot of pushing the Golden State Warriors.

Over the coming weeks that opinion would begin to change as Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela drove this team to the top seed in the Western Conference.

On November 5th this was still just a team, and rookie Donovan Mitchell on the Jazz was just a prospect. Mitchell led his team in scoring, but his 17 points were sharply overshadowed by 56 points and 13 assists from James Harden.

The Rockets ended up destroying the Jazz, 137-110. The Jazz tried a variety of defenders on him, from Joe Ingles to Thabo Sefolosha to Ricky Rubio. None of it mattered as Harden blitzed to a triumphant start, shooting 8-for-8 from the field in the first quarter en route to 22 points.

This was to be the season when Harden would finally win the MVP award, and this game was simply one piece of the wealth of evidence available to determine he was deserving. It was certainly a magnificent piece of evidence.

Next: January 23, 2019