CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden scored 55 points Saturday to set the single-game franchise record and lead a 131-116 road win against the Charlotte Hornets. He tied a career high with 10 three-pointers (on 16 attempts) and made 17 of 26 shots from the field.
The Clippers (5-11) snapped a three-game losing streak.
Harden scored 50 in a game for the 25th time in his 17-year career, tying Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant for the third-most 50-point games in NBA history and leaving him behind only Wilt Chamberlain (118) and Michael Jordan (31).
Harden scored his most first-quarter points ever with 27. Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue realized it could be a special game for Harden after that first quarter.
“I knew he had it going, but I didn’t know how many points he had,” Lue said.
Lue didn’t know it was a special game until after it was over. After all, the Clippers had lost four games this season when leading by more than 10 points and had three defeats in which Harden reached the 30-point mark.
“Needed a win,” Harden said outside of the visitors dressing room at Spectrum Center. “At this point, it’s about winning. So, I had to do what I had to do.”
The Clippers’ previous single-game scoring record was 52 points, set by Buffalo Braves center Bob McAdoo in 1974, tied by McAdoo in 1976 and matched by Clippers forward Charles Smith in 1990. Harden scored 50 against the Detroit Pistons in March, the only 50-point performance by a Clipper at home since the franchise moved from Buffalo in 1979. Now, Harden is the only player besides McAdoo with multiple 50-point performances in franchise history.
JAMES HARDEN SETS THE CLIPPERS SINGLE-GAME SCORING RECORD IN WIN VS. HORNETS 🤯
55 points (35 in 1H)
10 triples (ties career high)He is the only player that currently holds the single-game scoring record for multiple franchises ‼️ pic.twitter.com/DwBd1DXn6n
— NBA (@NBA) November 22, 2025
Harden has had only two other 50-point games with fewer than the 26 field-goal attempts he had Saturday. This was the third time Harden made 10 3s in a 50-point game. And the two turnovers Harden had were the fewest ever in a 50-point game in his career.
It was the ideal way to get going for Harden, who had his sixth 30-point game of the season. Harden didn’t have his first 30-point game of last season until Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving and the 20th game of that season.
“He carried us offensively,” Lue said. “I thought we did it the right way — got the the ball to the second side, and then, he was able to get to his actions, get to his one-on-one. And I thought we trusted. I thought James did a great job; they were firing in the second half, and just trusting the pass and trusting our guys to make the right play. Which we were able to do in the second half. So, that was just really good to see.”
The Clippers scored their season high for points in a non-overtime game and compiled their second-highest assist total of the young season (30). Harden, with seven assists, was one of four Clippers with at least six dimes. He scored from everywhere: 11 free throws, 10 3s, six field goals in the paint and a midrange bucket as well. He created his own shots, but he also felt good enough to dust defenders out of a timeout and score on a backdoor cut after receiving a pass from center Ivica Zubac.
“Making the right decision,” Harden said of his ability to score within structure. “That’s how I play every single game. Some nights, I’m really, really good at it. Some nights, I’m not the best at it. And I try to be great every single night. Yeah, it’s just that simple.”
Harden’s big performance came on the same day teammate Chris Paul signaled he was playing his final game in his home state of North Carolina. Harden also spent two seasons with Paul on the Houston Rockets, where Paul was traded after six seasons with the Clippers in the 2010s. Paul, who made a 3-pointer and had a game-high eight assists, did not speak after the game. But Harden reflected on Paul’s career while appreciating the fact that his own career was closer to the end than the beginning.
“Twenty-one years, at some point, you know, it’s coming to an end,” said Harden, a 17-year NBA veteran. “I think (Paul) has already started his transition. Obviously he’s still traveling and playing and things like that. … He’s always on the phone, making calls and having meetings and things like that. So, definitely taking notes for whenever that time comes for me.”
It appears Harden will finally get help while the Clippers finish their Eastern Conference road trip. Kawhi Leonard missed his 10th straight game with right ankle and foot sprains but will return Sunday night at Cleveland. The Clippers were also without shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic due to left hip soreness. Leonard’s return will give the Clippers a needed scoring boost to assist Harden, who has averaged 32 points per game with Leonard out of the lineup this month.
“If we just continue to stack days the right way, continue to understand what our foundation is on both sides of the basketball, then we’ll be a good team,” Lue said. “I know we had some injuries and we’ve been fighting through that. But everybody in the league’s injured. So, we just got to continue to just keep doing things the right way, and then kind of build from there.”