Harden Records First Ever 60-Point Triple-Double
James Harden made NBA history on Tuesday night by becoming the first player with a 60-point triple-double as his Houston Rockets held off the Orlando Magic, 114-107. Harden finished with 60 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, including 18 points in the fourth quarter and six in a row in the final two minutes to seal the victory. The performance also broke the franchise record for points in a game, besting Calvin Murphy's 57 points in 1978. The bearded one shot 19-of-30 from the floor and 17-of-18 at the free throw line to reach the mark, No one on the Rockets' team finished with more than 12 points, as they were playing without Chris Paul or Trevor Ariza due to groin and hamstring injuries respectively. They also lost Eric Gordon in the second quarter to lower back stiffness, which is their second-leading scorer on the team going down. Despite Harden's monster game, the Magic did a great job of keeping things close, even without Aaron Gordon, who was out with a hip injury. They will be back home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, while the Rockets move on to an in-state battle with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Wizards Snap Thunder's Win Streak
The Washington Wizards played their first game since losing John Wall to knee surgery on Tuesday night, and it was a surprisingly convincing win on their home floor. The Wall-less Wizards put an end to the Oklahoma City Thunder's eight-game win streak with a 102-96 victory. Otto Porter Jr. took over with 25 points for Washington, who limited Russell Westbrook to just 13 points on the night. The reigning MVP went off for 46 points a week ago against this same Wizards team, but shot just 5-of-18 to go along with 10 assists and six rebounds in Tuesday's loss. Paul George led the Thunder with 28 points but did not put up a shot in the final 12 minutes, while Carmelo Anthony scored 19 in the defeat. Both teams struggled from the floor, with the Wizards just barely out-shooting the Thunder, 38.2 percent-37.5 percent. Washington will be without Wall for two months following surgery, as the point guard was replaced by Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond on Team LeBron for the All-Star Game. Washington will look to continue on when they host another tough opponent in the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. The Thunder hope to begin another streak when they visit the Denver Nuggets that same night.
Pistons Snap Skid By Topping Cavaliers
It has been an eventful couple of days for the Detroit Pistons in the best kind of way after the acquisition of Blake Griffin on Monday. It got even better on Tuesday when Andre Drummond was added to Team LeBron for the All-Star Game following the John Wall injury. The big man then went off for 21 points and 22 rebounds to help Detroit snap an eight-game losing streak with a 125-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four Piston starters scored at least 20 points, as they went off before the arrival of Griffin, who will be introduced in a press conference on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have not been as fortunate as of late, losing for the 11th time in the past 16 games. The bigger loss came in the first quarter of Tuesday's contest when Kevin Love left the game with an apparent hand injury. Despite the incident not looking too bad, Love was diagnosed with a broken left hand and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The Cavs could not bounce back after that loss, as LeBron James finished with just 21 points on the night. Of the Pistons to impress on Tuesday, Stanley Johnson had a career-high 26 points, Reggie Bullock scored 22, and Anthony Tolliver finished with 20. They are expected to debut Griffin at home on Thursday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavaliers are back at it on Wednesday when they host the Miami Heat.
James Harden made NBA history on Tuesday night by becoming the first player with a 60-point triple-double as his Houston Rockets held off the Orlando Magic, 114-107. Harden finished with 60 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, including 18 points in the fourth quarter and six in a row in the final two minutes to seal the victory. The performance also broke the franchise record for points in a game, besting Calvin Murphy's 57 points in 1978. The bearded one shot 19-of-30 from the floor and 17-of-18 at the free throw line to reach the mark, No one on the Rockets' team finished with more than 12 points, as they were playing without Chris Paul or Trevor Ariza due to groin and hamstring injuries respectively. They also lost Eric Gordon in the second quarter to lower back stiffness, which is their second-leading scorer on the team going down. Despite Harden's monster game, the Magic did a great job of keeping things close, even without Aaron Gordon, who was out with a hip injury. They will be back home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, while the Rockets move on to an in-state battle with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Wizards Snap Thunder's Win Streak
The Washington Wizards played their first game since losing John Wall to knee surgery on Tuesday night, and it was a surprisingly convincing win on their home floor. The Wall-less Wizards put an end to the Oklahoma City Thunder's eight-game win streak with a 102-96 victory. Otto Porter Jr. took over with 25 points for Washington, who limited Russell Westbrook to just 13 points on the night. The reigning MVP went off for 46 points a week ago against this same Wizards team, but shot just 5-of-18 to go along with 10 assists and six rebounds in Tuesday's loss. Paul George led the Thunder with 28 points but did not put up a shot in the final 12 minutes, while Carmelo Anthony scored 19 in the defeat. Both teams struggled from the floor, with the Wizards just barely out-shooting the Thunder, 38.2 percent-37.5 percent. Washington will be without Wall for two months following surgery, as the point guard was replaced by Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond on Team LeBron for the All-Star Game. Washington will look to continue on when they host another tough opponent in the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. The Thunder hope to begin another streak when they visit the Denver Nuggets that same night.
Pistons Snap Skid By Topping Cavaliers
It has been an eventful couple of days for the Detroit Pistons in the best kind of way after the acquisition of Blake Griffin on Monday. It got even better on Tuesday when Andre Drummond was added to Team LeBron for the All-Star Game following the John Wall injury. The big man then went off for 21 points and 22 rebounds to help Detroit snap an eight-game losing streak with a 125-114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four Piston starters scored at least 20 points, as they went off before the arrival of Griffin, who will be introduced in a press conference on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have not been as fortunate as of late, losing for the 11th time in the past 16 games. The bigger loss came in the first quarter of Tuesday's contest when Kevin Love left the game with an apparent hand injury. Despite the incident not looking too bad, Love was diagnosed with a broken left hand and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The Cavs could not bounce back after that loss, as LeBron James finished with just 21 points on the night. Of the Pistons to impress on Tuesday, Stanley Johnson had a career-high 26 points, Reggie Bullock scored 22, and Anthony Tolliver finished with 20. They are expected to debut Griffin at home on Thursday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavaliers are back at it on Wednesday when they host the Miami Heat.
