James Harden just passed a legend on the NBA’s all-time scoring list

Nets guard James Harden continues to climb the NBA’s all-time scoring chart, passing a Celtics legend on Saturday.

With 24 points against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, James Harden moved up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Larry Bird in the process.

Harden is now 34th in all-time scoring with 21,792 points, one better than the Boston Celtics legend.

The Brooklyn Nets were able to see off the Pistons, 100-95, with Harden leading the way in the scoring department, putting up all 10 of his team’s final points. He racked up 24 points despite going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. It was a big night for him in other ways too. He had 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. He also had 3 blocks and 2 steals.

James Harden will keep climbing the scoring charts at a quick pace

At this rate, Harden will pass Gary Payton by simply reproducing his season-long scoring average of 25.3 points per game in his next outing. He’s still about 16 games from making a run at Clyde Drexler in 32nd place.

Harden already has the 10th-best career scoring average in NBA history at 25.2 points per game, so he’s going to keep climbing that mountain. The only question is how long he can sustain his scoring touch. At 31 years old, he still has some years in the tank, but the slow down could arrive at any point. Lucky for Brooklyn, it definitely hasn’t turned up yet.

In January, the Nets traded for Harden, manufacturing a mega-deal involving four teams to get the nine-time All-Star and three-time scoring champion. The trade included three first-rounders, even more first-round swaps and a host of players.

Before Harden’s arrival, Brooklyn was 7-6. His first triple-double came in his debut, and the team has gone 20-7 since. The Nets are now second in the Atlantic Division, just a half-game behind the 76ers.