Los Angeles Clippers superstar James Harden passed Moses Malone in scoring and moved up to 11th on the NBA all-time scoring list during Sunday night’s 103-101 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Malone, the three-time MVP who won a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983, retired with 27,409 points across his 21-year career.
James Harden Needs 874 Points To Pass Carmelo Anthony
Harden, who’s now up to 27,416 career points, sits just 873 behind Carmelo Anthony (28,289) and the top 10. The 11-time All-Star hit a floater off the glass in the third quarter to push him past the Hall of Fame big man. The 16-year veteran also needs 307 points to pass Shaquille O’Neal (28,596) at No. 9.
According to Basketball Reference, Harden has passed nine players this season, climbing from 21st on the NBA all-time scoring list to now just outside the top 10. The 35-year-old is averaging 22.5 points per game on 39.6% shooting from the field and 34.5% from 3-point range.
Since the Clippers have 11 games left of their regular season, Harden should be able to gain some more ground on Anthony and O’Neal and will likely push for 30,000 career points toward the end of next season or early in 2026-27.
In Los Angeles’ 123-115 win over the Detroit Pistons on March 5, he recorded a season-high 50 points on 14-of-24 (58.3%) shooting from the floor, 6-of-13 (46.2%) from beyond the arc, and 16-of-20 (80%) at the foul line.
Harden has already scored over 1,500 points this season in 68 games. With the Houston Rockets in 2018-19, he amassed a career-high 2,818 points in 78 games.
Thunder Snapped The Clippers’ Five-Game Win Streak
The Clippers saw their five-game winning streak come to an end against the Thunder, and they started the day in seventh place of the Western Conference standings, just percentage points ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“A loss is a loss,” head coach Tyronn Lue said. “But I thought our guys did a good job competing on the defensive end. Offensively, I thought we could have done things better.”
Despite the loss at home, Lue was encouraged by his team’s play, especially the defense against leading MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a game-high 26 points.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who leads the league in scoring, shot a season-worst 24.1% (7-for-29) from the field as OKC won its sixth straight. However, the two-time All-NBA member did make all 11 of his free throws.
“Just being able to come down the stretch in a one-point game, had a couple shots but just capitalize,” Lue said. “And then just defensively, I thought we did some good things. I thought we made Shai play a lot under duress all night, not let him play free and comfortable.”
The Clippers (40-31) visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
