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James Harden Closer to Making NBA History After Clippers-Pistons

James Harden adds another 50-point outing to his resume after beating the Pistons.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 4, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) dribbles against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at PHX Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Mar 4, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) dribbles against the Phoenix Suns during the first half at PHX Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsLos Angeles Clippers

The Detroit Pistons couldn’t make it a clean sweep against James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. As the 11-time NBA All-Star was a scoring machine, the Clippers prevented the Pistons from building a three-game winning streak.

For Harden, it was another major scoring night, which pushed him one step closer to making NBA history as he added another 50-point outing to his resume.

With 24 games of scoring 50-plus under his belt, Harden is one more 50-point outing away from tying the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

via @StatMamba: James Harden has the 4th most 50-point games in NBA history. Only Wilt, MJ, & Kobe had more.

The legendary Wilt Chamberlain is way out in front of the competition with 118 50-plus outings to his name. The Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan is second on the list with 31.

Bryant holds 25 50-plus games, while Harden increased his to 24 on Wednesday against the Pistons. Elgin Baylor, Damian Lillard, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Rick Barry, and Allen Iverson fill out the rest of the top ten behind Harden.

Harden checked in for 38 minutes against the Pistons on Wednesday. He got to the free-throw line to take 20 foul shots. He made all but four of his attempts to generate 16 of his points from the charity stripe.

The veteran guard went 6-13 from three and made 14 of his 24 shots from the field overall. Harden scored 50 points on the dot. In addition to his scoring, he produced five assists and came down with four rebounds.

LA took care of business at home against the Pistons on Wednesday with a 123-115 final score. The Pistons dropped to 35-28 on the night, keeping them in the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed. As for the Clippers, they improved to 33-29 on the year.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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