D'Antoni lauds 'remarkable' Harden after 50-point triple-double
James Harden made another strong case for back-to-back NBA MVP awards with an astonishing performance against the Sacramento Kings.
Mike D'Antoni saluted the "remarkable" James Harden after he inspired the Houston Rockets to a 119-108 victory over the Sacramento Kings with a 50-point triple-double.
The reigning NBA MVP poured in 50 points, took 11 rebounds and laid on 10 assists in another imperious display at the Toyota Center on Saturday.
Harden now has five 50-point triple-doubles in his career and has racked up half a century of points in 18 NBA matches.
Coach D'Antoni hailed Harden's astonishing consistency for the play-off bound Rockets.
"It's remarkable what he does, and he does it every night," D'Antoni said. "I keep thinking, 'Gosh, can he do this every game?' And then he does it for three years."
The Kings led by 10 points in the second quarter and held a slender advantage going into the last, but the Rockets were not to be denied a fourth win in five matches.
"They made a run, which we knew they were going to have in them," Harden said.
"But I just tried to be aggressive, whether it was making an assist or getting to the basket or shooting my shot. That was it."