James Harden Could Pass 20,000 Career Points on Thursday vs. Thunder

Russell Westbrook will be the Rockets' headliner in his return to Oklahoma City on Thursday night, though the matchup may also mark a special occasion for James Harden.

Harden enters Thursday's contest with 19,973 career points, just 27 away from becoming the 45th player in NBA history to tally 20,000 points. He has scored fewer than 27 points just three times this season, so another career milestone is likely barring a disappointing performance.

The two-time scoring champion scored the first 2,795 points of his career in Oklahoma City, where Harden spent three seasons before getting traded to Houston in October 2012. Harden has seen a massive scoring uptick since joining the Rockets. His 17,178 points since 2012-13 are the most of any NBA player, nearly 2,800 points more than LeBron James for the league lead.

Harden will next pass Antawn Jamison for No. 44 on the all-time scoring list. If Harden logs 40 more games this season (Houston has 46 left in 2019-20) at his current rate of 38.5 points per game, he will finish just shy of Hal Greer for the 35th-most points in NBA history. Harden could pass Larry Bird for the No. 34 mark if he finishes 2019-20 with over 21,791 career points.

The 2017-18 MVP is enjoying a career-best scoring season in 2019-20. Not only does Harden's 38.5 points per game lead the NBA this season, it marks the highest single-season scoring average since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63. Michael Jordan holds the non-Wilt single-season record at 37.1 points per game in 1986-87.

Harden will get his chance to cross the 20,000-point barrier in Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Tip-off from Chesapeake Energy Arena is slated for 8:30 p.m. ET.