Rockets’ Chris Paul becomes fourth player in NBA history to record 8,000 assists, 2,000 steals

Star point guard Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets (55-14) began a three-game road trip and matched last season’s win total when they held off a fierce second-half rally to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 107-101 on St. Patrick’s Day.

According to a tweet posted on Saturday night by Rockets beat reporter Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Paul even made NBA history in the city that selected him fourth overall back in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Paul’s first of three steals on the night made him just the fourth player in NBA history, along with legendary point guards Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, and John Stockton, to have at least 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals in their careers.

Those are definitely numbers that improve Paul’s resume as a future Pro Basketball Hall of Fame candidate, as each of those other three players already has their names enshrined in eternal greatness.

The duo of Chris Paul and superstar guard James Harden were simply too much for the Pelicans to handle on the night, as Harden went off for a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the victory.

Paul, who entered the game averaging 18.7 points per game in 50 starts this season, backed up Harden’s strong effort by scoring 21 points of his own on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Outside of almost pulling off an epic comeback against the Toronto Raptors last week in their 108-105 loss, the Rockets have looked pretty much unstoppable and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

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