Harden had 41 points and six assists to become the first player since the Hall of Fame guard to record at least 35 points and five assists in seven consecutive games, and the Houston Rockets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 108-104 on Saturday night. Harden had 26 points in the first half and reached 40 for the third straight game. Harden torched the Pelicans for 17 points in the first quarter and added nine more in the second as Houston took a 53-50 halftime lead. Harden's 26 first-half points were more than half of the Rockets' scoring. "We say that, and Harden gets (41), but that doesn't bother us because we knew that that was a possibility.

Source: ABC News December 30, 2018 02:54 UTC