Houston played Washington on Wednesday night, and Houston won.
The N.B.A. game didn’t have the import of the big World Series decider between the same two cities on the same night, but the Rockets and the Wizards played a wild one in Washington, and put up several eye-catching statistics.
Points, Points, Points
The 159-158 final score was not the most points scored in an N.B.A. game (that came in a 186-184 triple-overtime game between the Pistons and the Nuggets in 1983). But it was the most points in a game decided by 1 point. The previous record-holder was a 156-155 quadruple-overtime game in 1984 between the Bulls and the Blazers.
“I didn’t know we were going to have to score about 160 points to win, but whatever it takes, it took,” Houston Coach Mike D’Antoni told The Associated Press.
Harden Unstoppable
James Harden of the Rockets led all scorers with 59 points, the highest total in the league this season, topping Kyrie Irving’s 50-point effort for the Nets a week earlier. Harden was 18-for-32 from the floor (one fewer attempt than Irving).
He was also 6-for-14 from 3-point territory and drove to the basket for scores repeatedly and almost effortlessly.
His total was exceeded only three times last season, twice by Harden himself, who had two 61-point games.
Harden also had nine assists on Wednesday. His game score, a statistic that sums up all of a player’s contributions, was 46.8, the best of any player this season, according to Basketball Reference. Since the beginning of last season, Harden has four of the five best game scores. He also hit the free throw that won it for the Rockets.
The last player to get at least 59 points and at least 9 assists in a game was Harden last season. Before that you have to go back to Rick Barry in 1974 and then Wilt Chamberlain in 1964.
Honor in Defeat
Bradley Beal’s 46 for the losing Wizards was the third highest point total of the season, behind Harden and Irving.
The Wizards put up their second highest point total ever, trailing a 161-133 win over the Nuggets in 1990 when they were the Bullets (Bernard King had 52 that night).
The Wizards shot .626 from the floor, the best figure of any team this season. All nine Wizards who got in the game shot at least 50 percent, but the difference was that they took 12 fewer shots than the Rockets and made three fewer 3s.
The team’s 158-point total tied the record for the highest in a losing effort in regulation. The Nuggets lost, 162-158, to the Warriors in 1990. Orlando Woolridge and Walter Davis of the Nuggets and Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway of the Warriors all scored in the 30s in that one.
It’s No World Series but …
The Rockets improved to 3-1 and look to be among the favorites in the Western Conference, along with the two Los Angeles teams. The Wizards showed they could score, but slipped to 1-3. Somehow Washingtonians probably won’t be too disappointed on Thursday morning.
