HOUSTON – Today, the NBA announced that James Harden has been named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 8. It is the ninth time in his career that Harden has received Player of the Week honors, all coming with Houston.
Harden (6-5, 220) helped the Rockets to a 4-0 mark last week, including wins vs. Oklahoma City on Monday, Nov. 2 and at the L.A. Clippers on Saturday, Nov. 7. For the week, he averaged 38.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.50 steals in 41.0 minutes per game while shooting 46.4% from the floor, 34.9% from 3-point range and 84.5% from the line.
The three-time All-Star scored 43 points at Sacramento on Friday, Nov. 6, followed by 46 points against the Clippers the next night. Harden became the first Rocket to score 43-plus points in consecutive games since the late, great Moses Malone had two streaks of three games doing so during the 1981-82 season. Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Harden has the most 40-point games of any player in the league with 12.
Harden scored 20-plus points in each half against Sacramento and L.A., and over a four quarter span from the second quarter vs. the Kings through the first quarter against the Clippers, he scored a total of 57 points.
Overall this season, Harden is averaging 29.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.71 steals. Since steals were officially tracked in 1973-74, only seven different players have averaged at least 29.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.50 steals in a single season.