James Harden Breaks Kobe Bryant’s Record for Most Games with 30 or More in a Row

Bill Baptist/Getty Images

Houston Rockets star James Harden dropped 57 points in a 112-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, and in doing so, he made NBA history.

Harden has now scored at least 30 points in 17 straight games, surpassing Kobe Bryant for the longest such streak since the 1976 ABA-NBA merger.

Harden has taken his game to another level over the past month. During his ongoing streak, he’s averaging 41.3 points. As a result, the six-time All-Star is basically in a dead heat with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2019 MVP race.

The Rockets (25-18) have needed every bit of his outrageous scoring to maintain a spot in the top eight of the Western Conference, and Houston may have to lean even more on the reigning MVP going forward.

Chris Paul hasn’t played since the team’s 101-99 defeat to the Miami Heat on Dec. 20 after picking up a hamstring injury, and Eric Gordon has missed Houston’s last eight games due to a knee injury.

ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported Monday that Clint Capela will be out four to six weeks to recover from ligament damage in his right thumb, leaving the short-handed Rockets in a bigger bind.

With the way Harden is playing, Houston might be able to keep its head above water long enough until it’s back to full strength ahead of the playoffs.