The 8 Best NBA Performances From Last Week: Durant Thrashes the Thunder
3. James Harden vs. Memphis Grizzlies
"Oh, mama! There goes that man again", as Mark Jackson would say.
Yes, once again the Beard, with a nERD of 56.39 against the Memphis Grizzlies this weekend, cracks the top performances with a nERD of more than 50 and a perfect rating. And that's not something that you hear everyday against the grit and grind of the Grizzlies' fifth-ranked defense.
This is James Harden, though. When he makes up his mind, it's almost impossible for anyone to stop him. On Saturday, he tallied 29 points on just 9 shot attempts. He converted on seven of those, including four treys. However, in normal Beard fashion, Harden got 11 of his points from the line as he forced the issue on the road.
His shooting alone was over 100%, in terms of true shooting. But, even further, his aggressiveness and efficiency accounted for a 56.39 nERD.