NBA highlights on Jan. 23: Harden ties Bryant's record at MSG

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James Harden continued his record-breaking journey by dropping 61 points and 15 rebounds to help the Houston Rockets defeat the New York Knicks in the NBA at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Wednesday when ten games were played.

In so doing, Harden tied the scoring record that Kobe Bryant set in 2009.

The news was not so good for Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers who suffered a horrible knee injury against the Toronto Raptors that threatens the rest of his season.

Another career night for Harden

James Harden races toward the basket in the game between the Houston Rockets and the New York Knicks, which the Rockets won 114-110 on January 23. /VCG Photo

Having scored a career-high 61 points, Harden not only expanded his consecutive 30+point scoring games to 21, but also became the first player after Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to put down at least 60 points and 15 rebounds. Moreover, he's also NBA's first man to shoot at least 20 three-pointers and 20 free throws in one game, though he only sank five of the 20 shots from the 3-pt line and it would be difficult for him to earn 25 free throws in the playoffs.

Houston were considered the better team but New York were not frightened at all and even led 63-58 after the first half. Though the Rockets responded with 30-15 in the third quarter to gain the lead, they were never able to get out of sight of the Knicks. In the end, Harden stole the ball from Noah Vonleh and sealed the win with a dunk.

Pray for Victor Oladipo

Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers is carried out in a stretcher in the game they win against the Toronto Raptors 110-106 on January 23. /VCG Photo

It should be good news for Indiana as they beat Toronto 110-106, the No.2 team in the Eastern Conference but it was not good enough for the Pacers and their fans to forget about the painful scene of their star guard Oladipo being carried out of the court on a stretcher. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers worry that this injury might be "devastating" and require season-ending surgery. Oladipo will undergo an MRI on Thursday.

Losing their franchise player did not stop Indiana from claiming a victory at home. They kept attacking Toronto's rim and dropped 50 points in the paint. Meanwhile, the Raptors shot 39 three-pointers but only made 12 of them. Having trailed by 12 points (47-59) in the first half and lacked a consistent scoring method, Toronto missed the opportunity to regain No.1 ranking in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid, Simmons shine for 76ers

Ben Simmons (L) and Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrate in the game they won 122-120 against the San Antonio Spurs on January 23. /VCG Photo

Hosts Philadelphia 76ers defeated the San Antonio Spurs 122-120 thanks to outstanding performances by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid put down his 40th double-double of 33 points and 19 rebounds while Simmons took another triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists.

Philadelphia had the upper hand in most of the game, or so it seemed, but San Antonio kept the score very close and once managed to lead by eight points (120-112) with less than three minutes to go. However, the 76ers immediately launched a 10-0 run while delivering three blocks and one steal to complete the second straight loss for the Spurs.

Jazz claim eight consecutive home wins against Nuggets

Players of the Utah Jazz celebrate in the game they win against the Denver Nuggets 114-108 on January 23. /VCG Photo

The Utah Jazz carried on their dominance over the Denver Nuggets at the Vivint Smart Home Arena with a 114-108 victory. Utah's Donovan Mitchell dropped 35 points, six rebounds and six assists while making six of his 10 three-pointers, running the efforts of Denver's Nikola Jokic who put down 28 points, 21 rebounds and six assists. Each side lost a key big man – Derrick Favors and Mason Plumlee – in the first quarter when Favors and Plumlee almost exchanged punches.

The 3-pt became the deciding factor of the game. The Jazz sank in total 19 three-pointers, only one away from tying the franchise record. Besides six by Mitchell, Joe Ingles sank four, Jae Crowder had three, Kyle Korver got three and even Ricky Rubio made two three-pointers. By contrast, the Nuggets saw none of their first-lineup achieve anything from the 3-pt line until the last quarter. Actually, the team in total made only 3-pt shots, which were far from enough to defeat the Jazz.

Other results on Wednesday: (away teams mentioned first)

Cleveland Cavaliers 103-123 Boston Celtics

Orlando Magic 110-114 Brooklyn Nets

Los Angeles Clippers 111-99 Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks 121-101 Chicago Bulls

Charlotte Hornets 118-107 Memphis Grizzlies

Detroit Pistons 98-94 New Orleans Pelicans