James Harden first with back-to-back 50-point games since Kobe Bryant in 2007

Harden dropped 51 points, but was ejected in the Rockets' loss to the Clippers

By Jack Maloney

Dec 22, 2017 at 11:09 pm ET • 1 min read

The Houston Rockets were without Chris Paul on Friday night, which meant they needed it to be the James Harden show once again.

Harden, as expected, obliged. One of the frontrunners for MVP, Harden put together another magnificent performance, pouring in 51 points on 15-28 shooting, while also adding eight assists, four rebounds, and three steals. It was his second-straight 50-point performance, following up on his 51-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.

In doing so, Harden became the first player to score 50-plus points in back-to-back games since Kobe Bryant dropped 50-plus four straight times back in 2007.

James Harden:

First player with back-to-back 50 point games since Kobe Bryant had 4 straight in 2007. pic.twitter.com/Z21kNDA5JE
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 23, 2017

It was also Harden's third 50-point game of the season, giving him more than the rest of the NBA combined.

James Harden: 3rd 50-point game of the season, more than the rest of the NBA combined

LeBron James and Bradley Beal each have 1
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 23, 2017

Unfortunately for the Rockets, it was in defeat -- again. After winning 14 games in a row, the Rockets have now lost each of their last two games. In this one, they were put away by Austin Rivers, who poured in a career-high 36 points to lead the Clippers to an impressive win.

In addition, Harden was ejected from the game in the closing seconds after he knocked the ball out of the referee's hands.