The Rockets guard has dropped 41 or more points in each of his last five games, including 44 and the game-winning shot on Thursday against the Warriors. Needless to say, Harden has Houston humming like a well-oiled machine.
Along with Harden’s streak, the Rockets seem to have grown out of their early-season funk as they are 11-1 in their last 12 games.
Here’s a look at some of the craziest stats from Harden’s recent run of excellence.
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14.8 free-throw attempts per game
Harden’s average free-throw attempts were already pretty high (10.3) heading into Christmas Day (the day the streak started), but it’s skyrocketed since. Highlighted by a game against Memphis on Dec. 31 in which he took 27 free throws, Harden’s season average currently sits a 11.0 free-throw attempts per game — a career high if he maintains it throughout the rest of the season.
Plus/minus: +5.4
You’d think a player’s plus/minus over a streak of 40+ point games would be a lot higher than 5.4, but that’s not the case with Harden. The Rockets struggled at the start of the season due in part to the loss of several key players including Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza during free agency.
Those departures coupled with Chris Paul missing the last six games due to injury have forced Harden to bear more of the scoring load for Houston leading to a +0.7 plus/minus in his first 29 games. Aside from a +21 he posted in the Rockets’ win over the Grizzlies, Harden’s plus/minus has hovered above or below zero during the streak.
17.2 3-point attempts per game
The 3-point shot is no stranger in Houston, but Harden’s relied heavily on the ploy during his streak. In the game against Memphis, Harden dropped 43 points on just eight made field goals, six of which were 3-pointers. With an average of 11.4 3-point attempts per game in his first 29 games, Harden was already shooting frequently from beyond arc, but he’s taken it to a whole other level as of late.
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Usage rate: 44.4 percent
In his first 29 games, Harden’s usage rate was 37.7 percent, by far the highest in the league. But with Paul’s absence and the aforementioned work load Harden’s acquired, his usage as seen an increase over the streak, peaking with a usage rate of 47.0 percent in a game against the Pelicans on Dec. 29.
Five-game point total more than 199 players’ entire seasons
Over his last five games, Harden’s scored a total of 214 points. Since the start of the season, there have been 431 players who’ve played in at least five games. Of those 431 players, Harden has scored more points over his last five games than 199 players’ totals for the entire season, including Andre Iguodala and Jamal Crawford.
