NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from the Rockets' 113-101 win against the Grizzlies

#2 Red hot Harden

James Harden

Reigning MVP James Harden has continued his red-hot streak against the Grizzlies with 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in just 41 minutes of action. Harden has fueled both the Rockets' playoff push as well as his own back-to-back MVP bid during this run, scoring 408 points in his past 10 games.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau research, Harden joined Jordan and Kobe Bryant (who also were shooting guards) as the only players in the past three decades to score at least 400 points in 10 games.

And as if that were not enough, he's also the first since Westbrook two seasons ago to put up 4 straight 40-plus-point performances. He also broke another Oscar Robertson held record - He has eight consecutive games of at least 35 points and five assists.

But these are stats Harden and his ilk (Curry, Westbrook) have normalized us to during their historic MVP seasons. So here's another normal-for-Harden stat: he made 21 of 27 free throws today. He attempted 27 free throws.

Either way, Houston was second from last at the start of December in the Western Table Standings. With this 10-1 run, they're now tied for fourth, and with LeBron being a day-to-day for the Lakers, will continue to climb higher even without Paul. The D'Antoni Rockets are back.