The Highest-Scoring NBA Duos of the Last 5 Years
Pairing elite scorers in the NBA doesn't always lead to success, but they are fun to watch.
During the last half-decade, four franchises have featured the highest-scoring duo in the league. While occasionally the NBA's points leader drags along his next most productive teammate, sometimes the scorers are practically equal contributors.
The stories of these tandems vary considerably.
Efficiency is not a factor. The list is based on total production from players who qualify for the leaderboard, which the NBA sets as 70 percent of regular-season games.
2017-18: James Harden and Chris Paul
As covered in the intro, reaching a minimum number of appearances is required. That's a key story in 2017-18.
New Orleans Pelicans duo Anthony Davis (28.1) and DeMarcus Cousins (25.2) would've held the spot, but Cousins didn't play enough games. The same applies to Golden State Warriors pair Kevin Durant (26.4) and Stephen Curry (26.4) because of Curry's longer absence.
As a result, the first season of James Harden and Chris Paul on the Houston Rockets takes the honor.
Perhaps it's a fitting touch considering Harden secured the MVP award that year. He averaged an NBA-best 30.4 points while the Rockets won a league-leading 65 games.
CP3 hit the minimum on the head, appearing in 58 games. Houston's major offseason addition put up 18.6 points per outing for a combined total of 49.0 points per game.
2018-19: Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant
Honestly, it's wild a Harden-led pairing didn't repeat in 2018-19 when he averaged 36.1 points—a staggering 8.1 ahead of the NBA's second-highest scorer.
Together with Clint Capela (16.6), the Rockets duo checked in at 52.7. But that big number trailed a championship-worthy pair.
Stephen Curry racked up 27.3 points per game alongside Kevin Durant and his 26.0-point average, combining for a 53.3 mark. They'd won NBA titles during the two previous seasons and might've added a third had calf and Achilles injuries not sidelined Durant late in the playoffs.
Among the five combos highlighted, Curry and KD are the lone tandem to reach the NBA Finals.
2019-20: James Harden and Russell Westbrook
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit pause on the 2019-20 season, Russell Westbrook had found a rhythm. The first-year Houston guard averaged 31.3 points in his last 30 games, a stretch in which the Rockets went 19-11.
Westbrook and Harden were becoming a powerful force.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, a quad injury limited Westbrook after the NBA resumed. Still, by the end of seeding games, the duo registered a list-high rate of 61.5 points as Harden took home his third straight scoring title (34.3) with Westbrook (27.2) not far behind.
Houston edged Westbrook's former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round of the bubble playoffs before LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced the Rockets.
It would be the only season when Harden and Russ shared the floor for Houston.
2020-21: Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook
During the ensuing offseason, longtime Rockets general manager Daryl Morey resigned, and the team embraced a teardown. Houston dealt Westbrook to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall.
Even though Westbrook was a better fit alongside Beal, it was an awkward match. That showed in the team's performance.
Washington lost five straight games to begin the season and tumbled to 6-17. After dropping to 19-33, the Wiz rattled off eight straight wins to spark a 15-5 finish that vaulted Washington into the play-in games as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Beal ranked second in the NBA at 31.3 points per game, and Westbrook—who averaged a triple-double—added 22.2 points for a total of 53.5.
Washington beat the Indiana Pacers in its second play-in opportunity, but the Philadelphia 76ers eliminated the Wiz in five games.
2021-22: DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine
DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine played integral roles in ending the Chicago Bulls' five-year playoff drought.
During the offseason, the Bulls snagged DeRozan in a trade with the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs. He joined LaVine—who Chicago had acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017—and formed an All-Star pairing that averaged 52.3 points.
Both players notched top-12 scoring marks in the NBA as DeRozan ranked fifth (27.9) and LaVine placed 12th (24.4).
Most importantly, they spearheaded that return to the postseason. Even though the Sixers promptly eliminated the Bulls, it was a sign of much-anticipated progress for the Chicago front office and coaching staff in their second season in charge.