Houston Rockets: Top 5 moments from James Harden’s MVP campaign

4. The 41-8-7 game against the Nuggets

At a time where most Rockets players were seeking to find their wind coming back from a week-long All-Star break, No. 13 would produce one of his best outings of the season in extremely high altitude.

On Feb. 25 against the Denver Nuggets, Harden stamped his imprint on the Mile High City from the opening tip on offense, scoring a game-high 41 points with eight rebounds and seven assists to help lift Houston to a 119-114 win at the Pepsi Center.

"“It was a good thing we finished the game off the right way down the stretch,” Harden told the Associated Press after his outing. “We got stops when we needed to and we made shots.”"

Although Harden scored at least 40 points or more in 15 games during the 2017-18 NBA season, the ninth-year veteran showed why many regard him as one of the best one-on-one playmakers in the game against Denver, as the Beard took advantage of the several defenders out in isolation to create space and knock down six triples from beyond the arc.

He also used his ball-handling skills to set up the likes of Clint Capela, Joe Johnson and P.J. Tucker throughout the night, as Harden finished with seven assists. He was a critical component in helping the Rockets stave off a late Nuggets rally by nailing a step-back jump shot that proved to be the official dagger.