Harden joins elite company in Rockets' win over Pelicans

James Harden is on a tear.

The Houston Rockets' sparkplug joined some elite company in Saturday's 108-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 41 points with nine rebounds and six assists. That's his third straight 40-point outing, tying Moses Malone in the Rockets' record books.

It was Harden's seventh consecutive game of 35-plus points, tying him for fourth all-time with a stretch by Michael Jordan in 1987-88. Since the NBA/ABA merger, Kobe Bryant leads the way with 13 straight games of at least 35 points, accomplishing the feat in 2002-03; Wilt Chamberlain racked up 20 straight contests with 35-plus points during the 1961-62 campaign.

Harden also tied Oscar Robertson for first all-time with seven straight games of 35 or more points and five-plus assists. He is also just the fourth player in the last 10 years to score 500 points in one month, according to ESPN.

The Beard said afterward that is career goal is to be mentioned in the same conversation as those legends.

"That's what I play for ... to be mentioned with the greats," Harden said, according to the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen. "Obviously, I have a long way to go, but that's what I put my jersey on for, what I lace my shoes up for, to be ... mentioned as one of the best players to ever touch a basketball."

Houston has won nine of its last 10 - four of those victories coming without the injured Chris Paul. In that 10-game span, Harden is averaging 39.4 points and eight assists.