Harden's sloppy triple-double lands him in record books
If not for the triple-double spree Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook is currently on, perhaps more people would be praising Rockets guard James Harden for his similar statistical tear in that department.
In a 129-122 win for the Houston Rockets against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Harden notched his 10th triple-double of the 2016-17 season - although, if you want to nitpick, you can make the argument that the 27-year-old actually had a quadruple-double (albeit an unpleasant one) instead.
Harden scored 40 points on 13-of-26 shooting and 4-of-9 from behind the arc in 37 minutes of action to lead the Rockets. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 11 assists to complete his triple-double.
Marring that sensational line, though, is the fact that Harden turned the basketball over on 10 occasions. As a result, the four-time All-Star becomes the first player to have a 40-point triple-double with 10 or more turnovers since turnovers started being recorded back in 1977-78, according to Elias Sports.
NBA triple-doubles (2016-17)
| Player | Team | Triple-Doubles |
|---|---|---|
| Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City Thunder | 17 |
| James Harden | Houston Rockets | 10 |
| LeBron James | Cleveland Cavaliers | 3 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks | 2 |
| Julius Randle | Los Angeles Lakers | 2 |
| Draymond Green | Golden State Warriors | 2 |
(Courtesy: ESPN.com)
On a more positive note, this wasn't the first time Harden has had a 40-point triple-double this year, which makes him the third player (Westbrook, Michael Jordan) since the NBA/ABA merger to have multiple ones in the same season.
Harden is now averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and a league-best 11.8 assists for the 30-9 Rockets, who currently sit third in the Western Conference.