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In an annual tradition for NBA TV’s the Starters, each of the four hosts of the show will predict headlines from the upcoming NBA season prior to its tipoff. However, host J.E. Skeets had some serious foresight, with one of his predictions from three seasons ago coming true Wednesday night in the form of Houston Rockets talent James Harden.
It was 3 years ago but @jeskeets predicted the @nypostsports backpage headline that they used today, even down to the photo! pic.twitter.com/iKqK2cD13j
— Leigh Ellis (@LeighEllis) January 24, 2019
With a prediction of a 55-point outing at Madison Square Garden, James Harden gave New York just that, and some change. In the Houston Rockets 114-110 win over the New York Knicks, James Harden filled the stat sheet with an impressive 61 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists.
Skeets may have predicted it, but the moment was no surprise to Harden himself, either. On Tuesday, James Harden had this to say to a reporter:
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At #Rockets practice today, a reporter asked James Harden if he's had his own (Madison Square) Garden moment yet? Harden responded "still looking for it" with a smile on his face.
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 23, 2019
His monster performance in the Big Apple puts him once again in rarefied air, as he continues his streak of 30 or more points, bringing the current total to 21 games. That bumped him up to fourth, though he admits he is still chasing the great Wilt Chamberlain who holds the record.
The Rockets star's 61 points also tied the career high at Madison Square Garden of another legendary Laker- Kobe Bryant. For Kobe, it all went down Jan. 2, 2009 in a 126-117 victory. Harden still has a little catching up to do in terms of matching the impact Kobe had on the league in terms of scoring.
As the NBA celebrated the 13th anniversary of Kobe’s famous 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday, Harden will use this as fuel to continue building his legacy in the league.
