James Harden plays prominent role on defense as Houston grabs 'must-win' game in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY -- There's nothing surprising about James Harden scoring 43 points, as he did in the Houston Rockets' 125-98 win Saturday over the Utah Jazz, extending his streak of 30-point performances to 26 games.

The most noteworthy numbers in Harden's stuffed line in the box score were his six steals and four blocks, a reflection of the emphasis the Rockets put on defense a night after an embarrassing effort in a lopsided loss to the Denver Nuggets.

"It was a must-win for us, and we played like it," Harden said, noting that the Rockets wanted to even the season series with the Jazz and snap a two-game losing streak. "Defensively, we got after it. Offensively, we moved the basketball and everybody played well. But that's the effort that it's going to take for us every night."

Harden hit 30 points on a technical free throw early in the third quarter, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for the third-longest streak of 30-point games in NBA history. Chamberlain has the only two longer streaks at 65 and 31 games.

But Harden, whose lapses in defensive effort have been mocked in past years, was prouder of playing a prominent role in the Rockets forcing 20 turnovers and holding the Jazz to 36 percent shooting from the field.

Harden has made 40-point performances routine, hitting that milestone in 13 of the past 20 games and 19 times overall this season, 12 more than any other player in the NBA.

A six-steal, four-block night is much more rare. According to basketball-reference.com, Golden State's Draymond Green was the last NBA player to record that many blocks and steals in a game in a Feb. 10, 2017 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Green and New Orleans' Anthony Davis are the only active players with such performances, having each done so twice.

Harden, who shot 12-of-22 from the field and 15-of-15 from the free throw line, impacted the game in essentially every way possible. He also led the Rockets with 12 rebounds and five assists.

"I can't even do that in a video game," said Rockets wing Gerald Green, who had 25 points and was 7-of-12 from 3-point range. "It's crazy. It's unbelievable, the stuff he's really doing. He's so locked in. He puts the work in. He's leading us in the right direction. Our job is just to let him lead and follow him and let him take us where we need to go."

Harden came a block short of recording the highest-scoring "5 x 5" game -- at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks -- in NBA history. Rockets legend Hakeem Olajuwon, who has six of 18 such performances, holds that distinction with a 38-point, 17-rebound, 6-assist, 7-steal, 12-block outing in a 1987 overtime loss to the Seattle Supersonics.

"If I was any taller, I could have got another block," said the 6-foot-5 Harden, who ranks third in the NBA with 2.2 steals per game but averages only 0.8 blocks. "Honestly, I was just trying to be active and create some opportunities for our defense. I think everybody was on the same page tonight. Felt pretty good."