James Harden Embarrassed Jamal Murray On What Became A 4-Point Play

Though much of the attention in the sports world was on the national title clash between Clemson and Alabama, the NBA put together an intriguing eight-game slate on Monday evening. One of the headline battles of the evening came when the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets faced off and, with a 70-60 score at the halftime break, the game certainly didn’t disappoint from an entertainment perspective.

One play stood out above the rest, though, and it came from the catalog of James Harden. The reigning NBA MVP, who has been playing incredible basketball in recent days, zoomed to a suddenly typical 18-point, 7-assist showing before the half but, in this instance, Jamal Murray bore the specific brunt of what Harden had to offer.

Much like he did against Wesley Johnson last year, Harden dropped Murray with some slick handles and drilled the three afterwards — but this time he also got a foul as well.

Harden’s step-backs have been a big talking point this season and, while that element was present, this had the full of a run-of-the-mill crossover. It definitely had its intended effect on Murray, though, as the young guard crashed to the floor before “recovering” in time to commit a foul on what became a four-point play.

One play doesn’t paint a full picture of how a game, or even a half, is going but Harden’s MVP campaign continues in full swing and this one should bring some attention to Murray in a less than ideal way.