Harden stars with 53 points, Westbrook guides Thunder
James Harden posted a huge triple-double in the NBA as Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder returned to form.
Harden finished with an incredible 53 points as the Houston Rockets overcame the New York Knicks 129-122 on Saturday.
In 29 minutes, Westbrook also had a triple-double, helping the Thunder past the Los Angeles Clippers 114-88.
Meanwhile, LeBron James starred in a comfortable win for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
HOT HARDEN
Harden was unstoppable.
Along with his 53 points, he had 17 assists and 16 rebounds in the Rockets’ win.
He became the first player in NBA history to have 50 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a game, according to Elias Sports.
Ryan Anderson chipped in with 25 points, with the Rockets outscoring the Knicks 42-23 in the second quarter.
Knicks guard Brandon Jennings finished with a team-high 32 points.
THUNDER RIDE HOT START
The Thunder outscored the Clippers 33-12 in the first quarter and never looked back as they returned to winning ways.
Westbrook had 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds in the win.
Enes Kanter contributed 23 points off the bench for the Thunder, who had five players in double digits for points.
COMFORTABLE CAVS
The Cavs were untroubled in a 121-109 win against the Charlotte Hornets.
Even without Kyrie Irving (hamstring), the Cavs won, as James (32 points and nine assists) and Kevin Love (28 points and 10 rebounds) led the way.
Not even a game-high 37 points from Kemba Walker could stop the Hornets from seeing their two-match winning streak ended.
HARDEN MAGIC
Harden’s night: 53 points (career-high). 16 rebounds. 17 assists.
He led the @HoustonRockets to a 129-122 win over the @nyknicks. pic.twitter.com/z7tubMrWoT
— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2017
Beard goals. #Rockets50 pic.twitter.com/k2MM4dPhD9
— NBA (@NBA) January 1, 2017
BUCKS BLOW AWAY BULLS
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 116-96, the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the Sacramento Kings 112-98 and the Utah Jazz edged the Phoenix Suns 91-86.
SPURS IN ATLANTA
The San Antonio Spurs (27-6) take their 16-2 road record to Atlanta to face the Hawks (17-16).
