James Harden scores 59 points as the Houston Rockets escape with 159-158 win over Washington Wizards in regulation

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James Harden and Russell Westbrook

On a night when the franchises from Washington and Houston were battling it out in Game 7 of the MLB World Series, the NBA franchises from these cities put on an absolute show at the Capital One Arena. 

In a thriller of a contest, that saw the Rockets edge the Wizards 159-158 in regulation, superstars from both teams came to play. 

James Harden scored 59 points, the 18th 50+ point game of his career and the 10th 50+ point game since the start of last season. He now has a 50-point game in each of his last six season, the second-longest streak in NBA history since Wilt Chamberlain.

Russell Westbrook with 17 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds recorded his second triple-double in three games and the 140th of his career. For the Wizards, All-Star Bradley Beal put up 46 points on 14-of-20 shooting in their home-opener. 

This game was one for the ages, producing some crazy numbers all around:

It was the first time both teams had topped 150 points in regulation in nearly 30 years. 

The Wizards shot lights out, connecting on 57-of-91 (62.6%) from the field, including a franchise-record 20-of-36 three-pointers (55.6%), however, they gave up 26 points on their 19 turnovers which allowed the visitors to stay in the game. 

Other than their All-Star duo, the Rockets had four other players finish in double figures as they rallied from 10-point deficit with 4:27 remaining in the fourth quarter, to win their third straight game after losing their season opener. 

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