Luka Doncic vs. James Harden: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of James Harden and Luka Doncic to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Luka Doncic and James Harden have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history (James Harden is also one of the all-time leaders in total points) and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Luka Doncic has better scoring averages both in the regular season and Playoffs while James Harden scored more total points in both stages. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 8 NBA regular seasons played, Luka Doncic averages 4.6 points more than James Harden in his 17 seasons (28.7 points against 24.1). On the other hand James Harden scored a total of 14,807 points more than Luka Doncic (27,850 vs. 13,043).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Luka Doncic | 28.7 | +4.6 | 8 |
| James Harden | 24.1 | 17 | |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Luka Doncic | 13,043 | 8 | |
| James Harden | 27,850 | +14,807 | 17 |
Scoring Titles | ||
| Luka Doncic | 1 |  |
| James Harden | 3 | +2 |
Points in the Playoffs
Similar to what happens in the regular season, in the NBA postseason Luka Doncic has a better career point average than James Harden (+8.4 points per game) while James Harden scored more points (+2,198).
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| Luka Doncic | 30.9 | +8.4 | 5 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 16 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Luka Doncic | 1,697 | 5 | |
| James Harden | 3,895 | +2,198 | 16 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
70+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 1 | +1 | ||
| James Harden | 0 | |||
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 2 | |||
| James Harden | 4 | +2 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 385 | |||
| James Harden | 742 | +357 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 448 | |||
| James Harden | 1,060 | +612 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 453 | |||
| James Harden | 1,157 | +704 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 1 | |||
| James Harden | 1 | |||
Playoffs
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 50 | |||
| James Harden | 101 | +51 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 55 | |||
| James Harden | 155 | +100 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 55 | |||
| James Harden | 170 | +115 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 0 | |||
| James Harden | 3 | +3 | ||
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 28.7 | 9.7 | 20.7 | 46.8 | 3.1 | 8.8 | 34.9 | 6.2 | 8.3 | 75.2 | 8 | 454 |
| difference: | +4.6 | +2.6 | +4.5 | +2.9 | +0.3 | +1.2 | +1.4 | +0.9 | +0.1 | +11.0 | +9 | +704 |
| James Harden | 24.1 | 7.1 | 16.2 | 43.9 | 2.8 | 7.6 | 36.3 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,158 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 13,043 | 4,413 | 9,420 | 46.8 | 1,392 | 3,986 | 34.9 | 2,825 | 3,758 | 75.2 | 8 | 454 |
| difference: | +14,807 | +3,809 | +9,292 | +2.9 | +1,808 | +4,824 | +1.4 | +5,381 | +5,765 | +11.0 | +9 | +704 |
| James Harden | 27,850 | 8,222 | 18,712 | 43.9 | 3,200 | 8,810 | 36.3 | 8,206 | 9,523 | 86.2 | 17 | 1,158 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 30.9 | 10.8 | 23.3 | 46.1 | 3.3 | 9.5 | 34.7 | 6.0 | 8.2 | 73.7 | 5 | 55 |
| difference: | +8.4 | +4.0 | +7.3 | +3.6 | +0.8 | +2.1 | +0.7 | +0.4 | +0.8 | +13.2 | +11 | +118 |
| James Harden | 22.5 | 6.8 | 16.0 | 42.5 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 34.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Luka Doncic | 1,697 | 592 | 1,284 | 46.1 | 182 | 525 | 34.7 | 331 | 449 | 73.7 | 5 | 55 |
| difference: | +2,198 | +581 | +1,476 | +3.6 | +252 | +750 | +0.7 | +784 | +834 | +13.2 | +11 | +118 |
| James Harden | 3,895 | 1,173 | 2,760 | 42.5 | 434 | 1,275 | 34.0 | 1,115 | 1,283 | 86.9 | 16 | 173 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA Scoring LeaderRegular Season
James Harden's additional seasons: | ||||
* James Harden played 10 seasons more than Luka Doncic in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 9 to 18, from 2018 to 2026—he averaged 25.8 points in a total of 608 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 36.1 ppg and his lowest 16.6. In those 10 extra years over Luka Doncic, James Harden won 3 scoring titles. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Luka Doncic | - | DNP | 2019 | 0 |
| James Harden | 7.7 | +7.7 | 2010 | 6 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Luka Doncic | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| James Harden | 26.8 | +26.8 | 2014 | 6 |
Season 8 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Luka Doncic | - | DNP * | 2026 | 0 |
| James Harden | 28.5 | +28.5 | 2017 | 11 |
| * season in progress | ||||
James Harden's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 10 additional NBA seasons, James Harden played in 9 Playoffs. In those postseasons he averaged 23.7 points in a total of 97 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 31.6 ppg and his lowest 18.6. |