James Harden made history during his second year with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Just a few years ago, James Harden was viewed as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA. After all, Harden used to score points for fun during his tenure with the Houston Rockets.
However, since leaving the Rockets, Harden tuned his game to become a playmaker rather than a primary scorer for his teams.
The same has been the case for the majority of Harden’s stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. But fans saw the older version of Harden last season.
James Harden ended his six-year 50-point drought last season
During the 2024-25 NBA season, the Clippers once again dealt with an injury-riddled season for Kawhi Leonard.
This eventually led to Harden becoming the primary scorer on the Clippers and dialing it back on his playmaking duties.
Harden scored 50 points during a March 2025 game against the Detroit Pistons. It was Harden’s first-ever 50-point game in a Clippers jersey.
Moreover, it was the first time since 2019 that Harden reached that tally in his career. To make it more special, the Beard became only the fifth player in Clippers history to score 50 points in a game.
The last player to do so? Lou Williams in 2018. Speaking of him, Williams even urged Harden to put down the facilitator hat and return to his bucket-getting days.
It will be interesting to see if Harden will follow Williams’ advice during the 2025-26 NBA season. After all, the Clippers signed Chris Paul to lower the playmaking burden on Harden.
All 50-point games in LA Clippers’ history
While only five players have ever breached the 50-point mark for the Clippers, there have been a total of eight instances when that feat was reached in the NBA.
Bob McAdoo leads the list for scoring the most 50-point games for the Clippers. McAdoo’s four games took place in a span of three years.
Considering the NBA didn’t have a three-point line during that era, it makes McAdoo’s accomplishment even better.
For the next four years, no Clipper reached those heights until Freeman Williams’ 51-point scoring outburst vs. the Phoenix Suns.
Clippers fans then witnessed a decade-long drought before Charles Smith dropped the sixth 50-point game in franchise history against the Denver Nuggets.
But with NBA talent improving at a phenomenal rate, it was no surprise that fans had to wait 28 years before seeing another 50-point game in 2018.
