Smooth Performance of the Night: Harden scores 42, gives Rockets 3-0 series lead

James Harden was cooking on Friday night.

Harden scored 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting to help the Houston Rockets to a 130-128 Game 3 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. Harden also added nine assists and five rebounds as the Rockets now hold a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Not a lot of defense was played on Friday by either team, but Harden was simply unstoppable. He was on fire from deep, canning five treys while routinely burning the Mavericks on pick-and-rolls.

With Rajon Rondo out with a supposed back injury, the Mavericks had no one to match Harden's mix of size, speed and trickery. Monta Ellis tried his best, but Harden got by him on a whim.

The Rockets' also helped by introducing mismatches down low. Dirk Nowitzki couldn't get stops in the paint, so the Mavericks assigned him to cover the perimeter. That forced Dallas into switching defensive assignments, which also led to a number of mismatches. That, in turn, led to double-teams, which helped free up Harden on kickouts.

However, even with Harden pouring in a playoff career high in points, the Rockets still needed him right until the final moments.

With Houston leading by one late in the fourth quarter, Harden coaxed Tyson Chandler on a switch and drained a dagger step-back for his 42nd point, and the eventual game-winner.