James Harden climbed to 10th on the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring list when he hit a step-back 3-pointer from the right wing with 7:40 remaining in the first quarter of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Detroit Pistons, the report says. The shot raised Harden’s playoff total to 4,148 points, one more than Stephen Curry’s 4,147, per the report.
The basket came in the first quarter of Cleveland’s Game 6 in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday, with Harden appearing for the Cavaliers in his first season with the team, the report says. The play produced the milestone as the series reached a potential clincher in Cleveland.
Harden, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, is in his 17th season and his first in Cleveland after a midseason trade with the Clippers that sent Darius Garland to the LA Clippers, the report says. The move to Cleveland followed the in-season transaction that reshaped rosters for multiple teams.
The report notes Harden has qualified for the postseason in every season of his career and has totaled 186 playoff game appearances. That number places him 15th all time in postseason games played, per the report.
The milestone occurred on a long postseason resume that has produced consistent playoff scoring for Harden across his career, and it was recorded during a pivotal Game 6 in the conference semifinals, the report says.
