James Harden scores 55 points in Clippers win over Hornets

James Harden (YouTube)

James Harden of Los Angeles, California scored 55 points in a single game on Saturday. He accomplished the feat in a 131-116 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

This is the 25th time in Harden’s career he scored 50 points or more in a game. He accomplished the feat 23 times with the Houston Rockets, and now twice with the Clippers. Harden is now tied for third all-time for the most 50 point games in NBA history. The great Wilt Chamberlain of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had 118 50-point games. Michael Jordan is second on the list with 31 50-point games. Harden’s 25 50-point games are tied with the late Kobe Bryant. 

On Saturday, Harden made 17 of 26 field goals, 10 of 16 three pointers, and 11 of 14 free throws. He had seven assists, three rebounds, one steal and was a +22.

In 2025-26, Harden is averaging 27.8 points per game, 8.4 assists per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and one steal per game. He had a field goal percentage of .453, three point percentage of .388, and free throw percentage of .899.

Despite the success by the Clippers on Saturday, it has been a very disappointing season for Los Angeles so far. They are seven games below the .500 mark at five wins and 12 losses for a winning percentage of .294. Their win over Charlotte was the Clippers only victory in the last five games. One major reason why the Clippers have struggled so much is because their star player Kawhi Leonard has only played seven games because of ankle and foot problems. Another key injury is Bradley Beal, who is out for the year with a broken hip.