Kevin Porter Jr replaced LeBron James as the youngest NBA player to record 50 points and 10 assists. The Rockets beat Milwaukee 143-136.
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The Houston Rockets have had a pathetic couple of months thus far. They had one of the longest losing streaks in NBA history as they lost 20 games on the bounce. This year, they’ve had to trade away James Harden and Russell Westbrook and reset their aims to a rebuild.
Acquiring Kevin Porter Jr from the Cavs must have been their best trade move in years. The 20-year-old was unable to crack the rotation in Cleveland and had displayed some character issues. But Stephen Silas saw too much potential in the kid to let it slide.
It is absolutely not an exaggeration to say that Porter Jr has been a revelation since his arrival in Houston. His stats speak for themselves – Porter has raised his scoring average from 10 ppg to 16.7 with the Rockets.
KPJ underlined just how much talent he’s had stored away in tonight’s encounter. His offense contributed to more than 50% of his team’s tally of a whopping 143 points. It was pretty much James Harden-esque – his impact on his team last night.
Kevin Porter Jr breaks a record previously held by LeBron James
In tallying 50 points and 11 assists, Porter Jr became the youngest player in NBA history to record 50 and 10 dimes in the same game. This broke the record (previously held by one LeBron James) by a margin of over 2 years.
The circumstances of KPJ’s game make it even more praiseworthy. He did much of his damage while being guarded by Jrue Holiday – most people’s choice for best guard defender in the NBA.
Porter Jr has previously called James Harden one of his mentors, and a few of us can see the resemblances. Harden himself has showered some high praise on the 20-year-old, soon to turn 21.
