James Harden playoff history: Inside NBA star’s history of playoff disappointments with Rockets, Clippers, Nets, 76ers

James Harden playoff history: Inside NBA star’s history of playoff disappointments with Rockets, Clippers, Nets, 76ers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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While James Harden’s decorated NBA career will get him into the Hall of Fame one day, his playoff record is more uneven than usual for a superstar.

Ever since he went from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets, Harden has been tasked with leading many different teams to the promised land. Unfortunately for him, Harden hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since he was a sixth man for the Thunder in 2011-12, despite being arguably the best scorer in the NBA for a stretch in the late 2010s.

Harden’s playoff struggles usually pop up later in series, when his teams have been facing elimination or had a chance to bury the opponent. While Harden’s playoff struggles may have been exaggerated at first, they’ve only become more apparent as he’s continued to change teams.

With that in mind, here’s a look at Harden’s playoff history since his first year with the Rockets.

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James Harden playoff history

Houston Rockets

2012-13

The Rockets acquired Harden after the guard made the Finals with the Thunder, and Harden immediately exploded in his fourth NBA season. He produced career highs across the board, leading the Rockets to the playoffs as a No. 8 seed for the first time since 2009.

In the first round, Houston drew the Thunder in a revenge series, with the No. 1-seeded Thunder advancing. However, the Rockets made Oklahoma City fight for six games while Harden produced three games of at least 30 points in a strong showing.

2013-14

The following year, the Rockets continued their ascent in the Western Conference by winning 54 games and getting the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. Houston drew the Portland Trail Blazers in what would become a classic series.

Harden was great once again, producing four games of at least 27 points and two games of at least 34 points, but the Trail Blazers beat Houston in six games. In a must-win Game 6 on the road, Harden score 34 points as the Rockets lost on a Damian Lillard game-winning buzzer-beater.

2014-15

In 2015, the Rockets took another step forward by earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, allowing Harden his first deep playoff run in Houston. First, the Rockets handled the Dallas Mavericks in five games, as Harden averaged 28.4 points per game, which included a 42-point game in Game 3. Then Houston took down the Clippers in seven games, as Harden averaged over 25 points per game but had three strong performances in Games 5–7 to overcome a 3–1 deficit.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets faced the Golden State Warriors at the start of their dynasty. Golden State was too much for Houston, and while Harden scored 45 points in Game 4 to help stave off elimination down 3–0, his Game 5 performance was his worst of the playoffs, as he only scored 14 points on two made field goals.

2015-16

Houston couldn’t keep up the momentum and took a step back in 2015-16, only makign the playoffs as a No. 8 seed, where they face the Warriors again. Golden State had just won an NBA record 73 games and were the heavy favorites to defend their title.

Golden State won the first round series in five games, but Harden had a solid performance. He had two games with 35 points, once in Houston’s only win and again in the final game of the series, even though the Warriors proved way too much for the Rockets.

2016-17

The Rockets rebounded with 14-more wins in 2016-17, getting the No. 3 seed in the West, and the first round may have been Harden’s best in any playoff series. Houston beat the Thunder in five games as HArden scored at least 34 points four times, including a 44-point effort in the team’s only loss.

Next, Houston got the Spurs, and while Harden tried to keep up the momentum, he couldn’t all the way through. While Harden did have a 43-point game in Game 3, he only scored 10 points as San Antonio eliminated Houston in Game 6 by 39 points.

2017-18

This year was probably the Harden’s best chance at an NBA title in his career. The Rockets were the NBA’s best team in the regular season, winning 65 games, while Harden won MVP with 30.4 points per game. In the playoffs, Houston cruised through the Timberwolves and Jazz in the first two rounds, winning both series in five games as Harden lit up the stat sheet.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets faced the Warriors in one of the best series in NBA history. The Rockets went up 3-2 but were unable to close it out as  Golden State came back to wi nthe series. In Game 7, Harden did score 32 points but only went 2-13 from deep as the Rockets infamously missed 27-straight three-pointers in the game.

2018-19

While the Rockets were once again a contender, they met a similar playoff fate. As a No. 4 seed, Houston beat the Jazz in five games in the first round but lost to the Warriors in six games during the second round, marking the fourth time in five years Golden State sent them home.

Harden did all he could this series, averaging 34.8 points per game, but the Warriors were just too strong. Harden did score 35 points with six three-pointers in the elimination Game 6, one of his best performances i nan elimination game.

2019-20

Harden’s time with the Rockets was close to drawing to a close, but not before Harden led Houston on one more playoff run. This time, in the COVID bubble, the Rockets were a No. 4 seed who beat the Thunder in seven games before falling to the eventual champion Lakers in five.

Harden played 12 playoff games this run, scoring at least 30 points in eight of those contests and only scoring less than 20 points once. His final playoff game as a Rocket saw him score 30 points but make just 2-8 from deep in a 23-point blowout.

Brooklyn Nets

2020-2021

Harden had just one playoff run with the Nets, which came during the 2020-21 season. Brooklyn acquired Harded to pair him with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, hoping to form a new Big 3 in the Eastern Conference.

In the first round, it seemed to be all coming together as Harden produced 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to send the No. 7 seed Boston Celtics home in Game 5. Then, the Nets hosted the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round with home-court advantage.

However, that series was marred by injuries. Both Harden and Irving missed three games each over the seven-game series, and while HArden tried to play in Game 7, he wasn’t that effective as he shot less than 30 percent from the field. Durant’s infamous game-winning three-pointer was ruled a two-pointed upon review, and the Bucks won the series in overtime.

Philadelphia 76ers

2021-22

During the 2022 playoffs, the 76ers were a No.4 seed and drew the Toronto Raptors in the first round. The series went six games, and while Harden’s series-high in points was 22, he did it three times including in a 132-97 elimination blowout win to end the series in Game 6, as he also produced 15 assists.

The next round, the 76ers had a difficult opponent facing the top-seeded Miami Heat. Philadelphia lost the first two games, but bounced back with two home wins that included Harden’s 31 points in Game 4. Still, the Heat won the series in six games as Harden scored his lowest point total of that playoff run in his final game.

2022-23

Harden’s 2023 playoff run began with a revenge matchup against the Nets as the No. 3 76ers swept No. 6 Brooklyn in four games. Harden had a solid series, and Philadelphia was able to overcome one bad game.

In the second round, the 76ers had a much tougher matchup against the Boston Celtics. Harden came out on fire with 45 points to steal Game 1, and after two lackluster games, Harden scored 42 points to win Game 4 and tie the series at 2-2. However, Harden struggled from there on out, as the 76ers blew a 3-2 lead and Harden scored just nine points in a 24-point blowout in Game 7.

Los Angeles Clippers

2023-24

The 2024 Clippers had high hopes in their first playoff run with Kahwi Leonard and Harden as a pair, but those hopes ended quickly. Los Angeles drew the Dallas Mavericks in 4 vs. 5 seed matchup with the Clippers owning home court advantage.

Harden had a strong first four games of the series, averaging 26 points per game as the series was tied 2-2 headed back to Los Angeles. That is when the Mavericks won the last two games of the series to eliminate Los Angeles, with Harden scoring 23 total points in Games 5 and 6 combined. 

2024-25

After a successful regular season, the Clippers drew the Nuggets in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs in what became a tough No. 4 vs. 5 series. Once again, the series went seven game as Harden had uneven results.

While Harden scored 32 points to open the series in Game 1, and 28 points i na must-win Game 6, he scored less than 20 points four times in seven games. Then, in Game 7, Harden had his worst performance, scoring just seven points on eight shots as the Nuggets won by 21. From Games 4-7, which occurred after Los Angeles took a 2-1 lead, Harden produced 33 total points in the Clippers’ final three losses.

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James Harden playoff record

Through the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs, Harden has a playoff record of 98-89 across four different teams. Most of that playoff success came with the Rockets, as he went to the Western Conference Finals twice in Houston.

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James Harden playoff stats