While many are in awe of Houston Rockets superstar James Harden’s scoring outburst in the month of January, his scoring rampage is only second to Wilt Chamberlain.
Harden closed January off with a whopping average of 43.6 points per game. However, per Elias Sports via ESPN Stats & Info, the reigning MVP’s scoring outburst is just the seventh-best. All the records are held by NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain, including the record of 45.8 points per game in March 1963.
James Harden has played his 14th and final game in January.
His 43.6 PPG in January were the 7th most in a calendar month in NBA history, and the most by any player not named Wilt Chamberlain (min. 10 games).
(@EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/MS0WrJ4XNg
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 30, 2019
Chamberlain is regarded as one of the most dominant players in NBA history. He holds a ton of scoring records, including the most scored in a game with 100 points. He also holds the record for the highest scoring average in a season with 50.4 points per game — a feat he did in just his third year in the league.
So to be mentioned in the same sentence as Chamberlain is a great achievement in itself. January was a great month for Harden. Among his best games was a 61-point performance in a victory over the New York Knicks. He also notched back-to-back 50-point nights with 57 points (Jan. 14) and 58 points (Jan. 16).
More importantly, he carried his team from one of the worst teams in the Western Conference to safely within the playoff picture. And he’s showing no signs of slowing down. The question now is: what scoring records will Harden break or set in the month of February?
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