The Rockets-Wizards’ matchup Wednesday in Washington produced a raft of scoring milestones, some individual ones for James Harden, who stroked the nets for 59 points, and franchise- and combined-scoring records in Houston’s 159-158 victory.
Harden’s performance was his third career road game with 55 or more points. Only Michael Jordan (4) and Wilt Chamberlain (55) have had more. The only other active player with three 55-point-plus road games is LeBron James. Elgin Baylor and Kobe Bryant also had three.
Bradley Beal’s stellar night for the Wizards was somehow overshadowed: He dropped 46. The last time two players scored 55-plus points and 45-plus in the same regulation game happened on Dec. 14, 1962, when Chamberlain scored 63 and Elgin Baylor had 51.
Additionally, Russell Westbrook notched a triple-double for the Rockets, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time that teammates scored 55-plus and had a triple-double in the same game since 1992, when Reggie Miller (57) and Pooh Richardson (triple-double) accomplished the feat.
As for team scoring, the 159 points for the Rockets set a franchise record. And the 158 points for the Wizards was the second-most in their history.
The combined scoring for the two teams was the third-highest total for a non-overtime game in NBA history.
| Points | Date | Team 1 | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 320 | Nov. 2, 1990 | Golden State (162) | at Denver (158) |
| 318 | Jan. 11, 1984 | San Antonio (155) | at Denver (163) |
| 317 | Oct. 30, 2019 | Houston (159) | at Washington (158) |
