James Harden Erupts for 2nd Straight 50-Point Game in Losing Effort vs. Nets

Another night, another big performance out of Houston Rockets star James Harden.

Two days after he dropped 57 on the Memphis Grizzlies, the reigning NBA MVP went off for 58 points in a 145-142 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Harden shot 16-of-34 from the field, 5-of-19 from three-point range and 21-of-23 from the free-throw line in the loss.

According to ESPN's SportsCenter, Harden became the first player to drop back-to-back 50-spots since he did so during his MVP campaign in December 2017:

The performance also moved Harden past LeBron James on the active list of most 50-point games:

Harden went for 51 in back-to-back games at the Staples Center last season against the Los Angeles Lakers (Dec. 20) and the Los Angeles Clippers (Dec. 22).

Before Wednesday's game, NBA on ESPN noted that Harden needed 34 points against the Nets to average at least 40 points per game over his last 20 appearances. After his latest 50-burger, he is now averaging 41.2 points since Dec. 8 and has topped 50 three times during that span.

After Wednesday, Harden has scored 30-plus points in 18 consecutive games. According to ESPN Stats & Info, he is now tied with Elgin Baylor for the fifth-longest streak of 30-point games in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain owns the top four spots, with his 65-game streak in 1961-62 by far the longest ever.

Harden also had 10 rebounds and six assists in the losing effort.