James Harden: Highest Scoring Playoff Games of Philadelphia 76ers Superstar

• James Harden has recorded ten 40-point playoff games in his NBA career
• He scored a playoff career-high of 45 points in 2015 against the Warriors
• Harden matched that career-high on Monday in Game 1 versus the Celtics

The Philadelphia 76ers recorded a stunning 119-115 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday to grab a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.

James Harden stole the show in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, scoring a playoff career-high 45 points in what was the 33-year-old star’s tenth career 40-point playoff game.

Sports Brief looks at all the 40-point games Harden has racked up in the NBA Playoffs so far.

Harden scores 45 vs. Warriors

Many expected the Warriors to sweep the Rockets in the 2015 Western Conference Finals after storming to a 3-0 lead.

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Harden made sure that wouldn’t be the case, scoring a playoff career-high 45 points in Game 4. He shot 13 of 22 from the field, including 7 of 11 from beyond the arc in the 128-115 win.

Harden scores 45 vs. Boston 

The odds were stacked against the Sixers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Joel Embiid ruled out of the series opener against the Celtics due to a knee injury.

Harden had other ideas, scoring 45 points to lead Philadelphia to a 119-115 win over Boston, per Yahoo! Sports. He made the biggest basket of the night, knocking down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds remaining.

That shot enabled Harden to match his career-high in the playoffs.

Harden scores 44 vs. OKC 

Harden dazzled in Game 3 of the first-round series between the Rockets and Thunder, scoring 44 points.

He shot 11 of 21 from the field in the 115-113 loss to Oklahoma City on April 21, 2017.

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Harden scores 44 vs. Minnesota

Harden opened his campaign in the 2018 playoffs with a bang, scoring 44 points in the Rockets’ 104-101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He shot 15 of 26 from the floor, including 7 of 12 from the 3-point area in Game 1 of their first-round series.

Harden scores 43 vs. Spurs

Harden torched the Spurs in Game 3 of the 2017 Western Conference Semifinals, scoring 43 points. He shot 14 of 28 from the field and made 10 of his 11 free throws.

However, his effort was for naught as Houston suffered a 103-92 loss to San Antonio.

Harden scores 42 vs. Dallas 

Harden wreaked havoc in Game 3 of the Rockets’ first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 42 points to help Houston take a 3-0 lead.

The star shot 15 of 24 from the field, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc in his team's thrilling 130-128 win. He also made all 10 of his free throws.

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Harden scores 41 vs. Utah

Harden continued his season-long mastery of the Jazz, scoring 41 points in Houston’s 110-96 win over Utah in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

He loved playing against the Jazz in the 2016-17 regular season, averaging 34.3 points per game. Harden stepped it up a notch in the series opener, shooting 12 of 26 from the field, including 7 of 12 from deep.

Harden scores 41 vs. Warriors

Harden punished the Warriors’ defense in Game 1 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals.

He scored 41 points on 14 of 24 shooting. It wasn’t enough to overcome the defending champions as Golden State cruised to a 119-106 victory.

Harden drops 41 vs. Warriors

Harden replicated that feat against the Warriors in their playoff meeting in 2019. He scored 41 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Rockets won this time, with Houston defeating Golden State 126-121 in an overtime thriller.

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Harden scores 41 vs. Boston

Harden made history in Game 3 of the Brooklyn Nets’ first-round series against the Boston Celtics on May 28, 2021.

He became the first Net to score at least 40 points and record ten assists in a playoff game.

Harden scored 41 points and dished out ten assists in the Nets’ 125-119 loss to the Celtics.

Fans pay tribute to Harden

Sports Brief recently reported on reactions to Harden’s heroics on Monday against Boston.

Fans took to social media to praise the 76ers star after he scored 45 points in the Game 1 win.

Some believe Harden's display is more impressive than the 50-point outing of Curry in Game 7 against the Kings.