Harden scores 30, Ibaka drops two 3s in Rookie Challenge

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — The game itself was about what you might expect. The Rookies won 148-140 but really it felt more like 256-254.

In terms of Thunder related items, James Harden was great, scoring 30 points on 11-18 shooting (4-9 from 3). Obviously, this was against swiss cheese defense, but still, he was the second leading scorer in the game. That counts for something. It’s the third straight strong showing for a Thunder player in the game. Kevin Durant scored 46 in 2009, Russell Westbrook 40 last year in Dallas and now Harden with 30.

The bigger news is what Serge Ibaka did. He scored 14 points on 6-10, but the way he got six of those is notable. Ibaka dropped two 3-pointers, looking cool and confident as he stroked both. One was a swish from the corner and the other a smooth bomb from the top of the key. I’m trying to contain my excitement because this is probably just an exhibition aberration, but still, if that’s something Ibaka has in his pocket… wow.

Harden also busted out a smooth windmill, showing off the athleticism nobody thinks he has. Also, KD was courtside (of course he was), sporting some slick glasses.