James Harden may have submitted the most bizarre performance of the season on Sunday evening in the Houston Rockets' loss to the Orlando Magic.
On one hand, Harden extended his 30-point streak to 16 games, tying Kobe Bryant for the longest such streak since the NBA/ABA merger. He finished the game with 38 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. That's an incredibly productive performance, and the remarkable streak puts him on a list with not only Kobe but other Hall of Famers Tracy McGrady and Moses Malone.
On the other hand, Harden had a historically bad performance from 3-point land in the game, going 1-of-17 from deep. The 16 misses from beyond the arc tied the NBA record for most misses in one game, and if that wasn't enough, his 5.9 percent mark from deep was the worst percentage anyone with at least 15 attempts has ever shot in a game.
Taken together, Harden clearly put together the worst single-game 3-point shooting performance in NBA history.
Harden's awful shooting night is, of course, notable because it was historically bad. But at the same time, it makes the rest of his numbers even more impressive. That Harden could put up 38 points, nine rebounds, 12 rebounds and four steals while in the midst of the worst 3-point shooting game ever is incredible.
Because of his ability to get to the free throw line -- he went 15-of-16 in this game -- he can be incredibly productive scoring wise even when his shot isn't falling. In addition, this performance shows just how reliant the Rockets are on Harden -- especially with Chris Paul hurt.
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