James Harden of the Houston RocketsScott Halleran/Getty Images
Even the biggest stars of the Houston Rockets' past couldn't outshine James Harden on Thursday night.
Harden scored a career-high 50 points with 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets to a 118-108 win over the Denver Nuggets on a night when the team celebrated the 20th anniversary of the franchise's back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.
Harden got a boost by knowing players such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler were watching from the front row.
"That's a special group right there," Harden said. "We're trying to build something special like they did (and) to play a game in front of them was definitely an honour."
It was the ninth time a Rocket has reached 50 points and the first time since Olajuwon had 51 against the Celtics on Jan. 18, 1996.
Harden eclipsed his previous career-best of 46, set in 2013, on a free throw with about a minute remaining. On Houston's next possession, Trevor Ariza found him in the corner and he swished a 3 under heavy pressure, to make it 50.
"It just looked so easy," Ariza said. "It was like he just woke up and walked out there and had 50. That's how easily he scored the basketball."
Harden broke into a huge smile when asked about the 3-pointer that capped his big night.
"Many, my teammates are amazing," he said. "Trevor noticed what was going ... dribbled right at me, I just said: 'I'm going to let it fly' and it went in."
Six straight points by the Nuggets cut the lead to 8 with about five minutes left when the Rockets made the next five points, capped by a step back jump shot from Harden, to make it 104-91. Harden scored seven points after that to secure the victory.
It was the 29th game with at least 30 points and seventh with 40 this season for Harden, who is second in NBA scoring. He bounced back from a tough shooting game on Tuesday, when he had 17 points, by scoring 22 before halftime on Thursday night.
"It's really hard to get 50 points in a game and is not something many people can do," coach Kevin McHale said. "I was just one of those nights where he had good energy and he was driving hard."
Houston made 32 free throws in this game, led by 22 by Harden, which were the most made by a player in the NBA this season.
Wilson Chandler and Randy Foye scored 23 points each for the Nuggets, who dropped to 0-4 against Houston this season.
"Obviously he's probably the MVP this year in the NBA," Foye said of Harden. "He did an unbelievable job of creating and also getting to the free throw line."
The Rockets led by 17 after three, but with Harden on the bench, the Nuggets used an 11-2 run to open the fourth quarter and get within 92-84 with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Houston's star came in and helped the Rockets go on a 7-1 run to extend the lead to 99-85 midway through the quarter.
The Rockets already had a big lead in the third quarter when they scored seven straight points, with five from Harden, to make it 76-58 midway through the quarter.
Denver got going after that, using a 14-5 spurt to cut the lead to 81-72 with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the third. Foye led the way in that stretch, making the last 10 points, capped by a pair of 3-pointers.
Harden scored six of the points in a 9-1 run the Rockets used to close out the quarter and make it 90-73 entering the fourth.
Harden made each of his eight free throws in his 16-point third quarter.
Houston led 65-49 at halftime.
SUNS 74, PELICANS 72
PHOENIX – Brandan Wright scored 16 points and matched his career high with seven blocked shots, helping the Phoenix Suns to a sluggish, cold-shooting victory over a New Orleans Pelicans team playing without star Anthony Davis.
Davis rolled his left ankle in the team's shootaround and his availability for the game at Golden State Friday was uncertain.
The loss dropped New Orleans a game behind Oklahoma City for the eighth playoff spot in the West. Phoenix is 2 1/2 behind Oklahoma City and 1 1/2 behind the Pelicans.
Eric Gordon scored 14 for the Pelicans.
JAZZ 80, LAKERS 73
LOS ANGELES – Gordon Hayward scored 22 points, Trey Burke added 17 off the bench, and the Utah Jazz sent the Los Angeles Lakers to their 50th loss of the season.
The Jazz, coming off an 88-84 loss against that Washington that ended a season-best six-game winning streak, are 12-2 since the All-Star break.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the lottery-bound Lakers, who have dropped 25 of their last 30.
TIMBERWOLVES 95, KNICKS 92
NEW YORK – Zach LaVine made the tying and go-ahead free throws with 10.7 seconds left and scored six of his 20 points in overtime as the Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the New York Knicks in a matchup of the NBA's biggest losers.
Minnesota (15-53) ended a six-game losing streak and snapped a tie with the Knicks (14-54) for the NBA's worst record. New York can still win for losing, and now has pole position in the race for the No. 1 draft pick.
Kevin Martin scored 22 points and Andrew Wiggins had 20 for Minnesota despite shooting 4 for 17 from the field. Gorgui Dieng finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and his blocked shot triggered the fast break that set up LaVine's free throws.