WASHINGTON (AFP) — James Harden scored a Los Angeles Clippers-record 55 points in a 131-116 National Basketball Association (NBA) victory at Charlotte on Saturday while the Detroit Pistons stretched their win streak to 12 games by beating Milwaukee 129-116.

The Clippers improved to 5-11 while extending the Hornets’ losing streak to five games.

Harden, the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player, scored 27 points in the first quarter for the Clippers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

“The work I put in individually, I do it for the entire team,” Harden said. “I’m just trying to find ways to win games.”

The 36-year-old guard, who helped the United States win Olympic gold in 2012, made 17-of-26 shots from the floor, 10-of-16 from three-point range, and hit 11-of-14 free throws in his record-setting effort while also passing off seven assists.

Bob McAdoo and Charles Smith had shared the prior franchise record with 52-point performances.