Clippers offset Harden scoring explosion

LOS ANGELES: James Harden delivered another dynamic performance with his second straight 51-point outing but once again it wasn’t enough as the Houston Rockets lost 128-118 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

The Clippers came on in the second half to offset the heroics of guard Harden, who became the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to register back-to-back 50-point games. He equalled his points total from Wednesday’s 122-116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harden finished 15 of 28 from the floor and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line while contributing eight assists in front of a crowd of 18,000 at the Rockets’ Toyota Center arena.

On Wednesday, Harden scored his 51 in 43 minutes of playing time — and Friday he did it in 41 minutes as he fouled out with 26 seconds left.

But Harden didn’t want to talk about matching the 50-point performances of Bryant on Friday, instead complaining about the officiating.

“I’m tired of hearing, ‘I made a mistake.’ Or, ‘I didn’t see it.’ It’s frustrating as a player. I know we all make mistakes, but it’s frustrating,” he said.

Bryant had four 50-point games in a row in March 2007. Michael Jordan strung together three straight 50-point nights in 1987.

Harden is also just the second player to score 50 points in back-to-back losses, joining Wilt Chamberlain in the 1962-63 season.