



A season ago, Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double over a full season and, along the way, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard put together the highest-scoring performance during a game in which a player registered a triple-double in the history of the NBA. On Tuesday evening, James Harden surpassed his contemporary, as the Houston Rockets’ guard produced the first 60-point triple-double in the history of the league.

James Harden has recorded the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history. — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 31, 2018

In Houston’s 114-107 victory over the Orlando Magic, Harden finished with 60 points (on a wildly efficient 19-for-30 shooting) to go along with 10 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals. Obviously, that kind of production speaks for itself and the triple-double achievement will take its rightful place in the history books.



Harden’s transcendent showing was not the only piece of history he set. The dynamic guard broke his personal record for scoring, and he broke the Rockets’ franchise record for single-game scoring, surpassing Calvin Murphy’s previous mark of 57. Murphy was in attendance for the game, and he appeared to be overjoyed at how his record fell.



Harden’s 60-point effort also put him in rare company with regard to active players in the league today.

James Harden scores career-high, 2017-18 NBA season-high & Rockets franchise-record 60 points vs. Magic. Joins LeBron James (61), Carmelo Anthony (62), Klay Thompson (60) & Devin Booker (70) as only active players to score 60+ in a game. pic.twitter.com/JvDQg1toq9 — Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 31, 2018

On a nightly basis, Harden carries an immense workload on a top-flight team in the Western Conference. This time around, the All-NBA guard zoomed past anything he had ever accomplished before and, in the process, set a mark that will certainly be remembered for a long time.