The Numbers Behind James Harden's Hot Start and Other Takeaways from NBA Monday
The Houston Rockets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 104-93, Monday night behind 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists from James Harden.
Following his 32-point showing on opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Harden became the first player this season to cross the 30-point threshold twice, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
But as is generally the case with Harden, you can't take the numbers at face value.
An examination of how he reached 35 points is crucial to understanding Harden's genius as a scorer or, rather, point producer, because he hasn't done much pure scoring so far this season.
On Monday, Harden attempted an equal number of field goals and free throws (18), sinking 17 of his freebies, while drilling just seven of his attempts from the floor, four of which came from beyond the arc.
While those ratios shouldn't be surprising given all we know about Harden's propensity to live at the charity stripe and three-point line, the clip at which he's made trips to the line has been astounding.
As Sixers head coach Brett Brown noted during his postgame remarks, according to The Intelligencer's Tom Moore, the fact that the Sixers attempted more free throws than Harden is a cause for celebration these days:
ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss explained just how remarkable Harden's ability to get to the line has been:
An artist when it comes to slicing into the paint and initiating contact, Harden has accrued 13.5 free-throw attempts per game thus far.
According to NBA.com, Harden has been historically proficient when making those trips:
In order to grasp just how profound an impact Harden's free-throw attempts have had on his output, consider this factoid: Through four games, Harden is shooting just 37.3 percent from the field and is still generating 117.5 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com.
On top of that, 45.9 percent of Harden's total points have come via free throws, per NBA.com.
While he clearly possesses all of the traits necessary to be a lethal scorer in a traditional sense, Harden continues to redefine efficient practices with an extreme mindset that has forced him to do most of his work off the dribble.
To date, 72 percent of Harden's field-goal attempts have come unassisted. Furthermore, a majority (51 percent) of Harden's shots have come in the form of pull-ups, a mere 32 percent of which have fallen through the net, according to NBA.com.
And with a paltry 7.2 percent of his total points coming via mid-range jump shots, you should expect more of the same from Harden as the Rockets continue to live and die by attempts in the paint and beyond the arc.
Harden will look to impose his efficient will on the Miami Heat when they square off against the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Around the Association
Brook Lopez Steady in Debut
Thanks to 18 points (6-of-10 shooting), six rebounds and two blocks from Brook Lopez, the Brooklyn Nets dismantled the depleted Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-85, Monday night.
Six Brooklyn players scored in double figures on a night when the Nets shot 52 percent from the field, 48 percent from three and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Making his first appearance of the season, point guard Reggie Jackson underwhelmed in 42 minutes. Although he led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-20 shooting, Jackson also committed seven turnovers and finished with a team-worst plus/minus rating of minus-28.
CP3x2
Chris Paul finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to post the first triple-double by any player this season in the Los Angeles Clippers' 107-101 win over the Utah Jazz.
According to the Clippers' Twitter account, it had been quite a while since Paul recorded a triple-double:
Jamal Crawford also reached a personal milestone by scoring 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting:
Dallas Squeaks Past Boston
Despite leading by as many as 31 points, the Dallas Mavericks crept past the Boston Celtics, 118-113, after Brad Stevens' club outscored Dirk Nowitzki and Co. 72-51 in the second half.
In the loss, Avery Bradley scored a career-high 32 points (13-of-22 shooting, 4-of-6 from three), while Jeff Green tallied a game-high 35 points on 14-of-28 shooting (5-of-12 from three).
Celtics rookie Marcus Smart put together an excellent defensive performance down the stretch but will likely be getting a call from the league for this egregious flop:
Chandler Parsons led the way for Dallas, scoring 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting (4-of-5 from three), marking the third straight game in which he posted substantial offensive gains, according to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon:
Nerlens Noel Flashes Potential
Sixers center Nerlens Noel held his own against Rockets center Dwight Howard (11 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks), compiling 10 points, six steals and five assists in 30 minutes.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, Noel became the first player age 20 or younger to record those single-game totals since John Wall in 2010. They were historically significant numbers for another reason, too, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
He also rejected Harden's dunk attempt at the end of the third quarter in epic fashion:
Sacramento's Streaking
After dropping their season opener against the Golden State Warriors, the Sacramento Kings have now won three straight games against the Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets.
In Monday's 110-105 victory against the Nuggets, Kings point guard Darren Collison led all scorers with 21 points while dropping six dimes. DeMarcus Cousins contributed 19 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Sacramento's defense remained red-hot in the win, too, limiting the Nuggets to 39 percent shooting from the field and 21 percent shooting from three.
Whatever You Do, Don't Jump with DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan reminded big men everywhere that trying to match his vertical on lobs is only going to result in embarrassment.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert learned that lesson the hard way:
Monday, in Anthony Davis Not Being Human
Anthony Davis served up another friendly reminder that he's not from this planet when he skied for this ridiculous putback slam in the New Orleans Pelicans' 93-81 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies:
Memphis remained perfect (4-0) with the win, while Davis joined some very exclusive company, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
