Lakers’ LeBron James Calls James Harden One of Best Scorers in NBA History

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Los Angeles Lakers guard/forward LeBron James dropped 31 points in a 124-115 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

After the game, James told reporters that Rockets guard (and NBA-leading scorer) James Harden is “one of the greatest scorers we've even seen in this game.”

That's a lofty compliment coming from arguably the greatest player in league history, but the sentiment is warranted when reviewing the stats.

Harden's 37.2 points per game this season are more than any other player's single-season average outside ex-NBA great Wilt Chamberlain. That average is also one-tenth of a point better than Michael Jordan's best single-season scoring average of 37.1 in 1986-87.

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Harden's led the league in scoring in each of the past two seasons and has averaged 29.6 points per game since the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him to the Rockets in 2012.

Harden also went on a prolific 32-game scoring surge in the 2018-19 season when he scored at least 30 points per game. He averaged 41.1 points during that stretch and scored 50 or more four times with a high of 61.

Harden, who turned 30 last August, is already 43rd on the all-time points list.

The Beard, who won the 2017-18 NBA MVP award, dropped 34 points in a losing effort Saturday. He and the 26-15 Rockets will look to bounce back against the Thunder at home on Monday.   

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