James Harden Drops 44 in Rockets Loss to Blazers, Grades Performance 'All Right'

Houston Rockets guard James Harden posted 44 points and 17 assists in his 2020-21 NBA season debut on Saturday against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 128-126 overtime loss.

Harden made 12 of 22 field goals and 14 of 16 free throws. He also knocked down six of his 13 three-pointers and sank the game-tying bucket to force the extra frame:

The 2017-18 NBA MVP had 20 points and five assists in his final 12 minutes, 11 seconds of court time.

"It was all right," Harden said about his 44-point effort, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "Too many turnovers. But other than that, first game playing 40-something minutes, I feel like my conditioning could be better, obviously, but it was pretty solid. I think we let them get away from us."

Harden and Rockets big man Christian Wood (31 points, 13 rebounds) engaged in a two-on-two showdown with Blazers guards Damian Lillard (32 points, nine assists) and CJ McCollum (44 points, eight assists).

That quartet accounted for all the points and assists in the final 2:03. Portland took a 123-118 lead off a McCollum jumper, but a Wood two-pointer and Harden three tied the game. 

"James is really good," McCollum said, per MacMahon. "Regardless of what James does in his spare time, James is really f---ing good at basketball. Like, he's really good."

Lillard sank a shot and Harden hit a three before McCollum sank the game-winning triple with 6.9 seconds remaining.

Houston still had a chance for the victory, but Robert Covington stole a Harden pass to seal the Portland win.

It's been a tumultuous preseason for Harden and the Rockets. Of note, Harden has requested a trade to one of six contending teams, and the NBA fined him $50,000 for a COVID-19 protocol violation.

For now, Harden remains a Rocket, and he continues to stuff the stat sheet in his 12th NBA season. Harden and the Rockets will visit the Denver Nuggets next on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.