James Harden posted a triple-double in 3 quarters in a win over Portland

James Harden is really good at this basketball thing. But under new Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, he’s almost unstoppable.

Harden notched his third triple-double of the season in the first three quarters, torching Portland for 26 points (7-of-17 shooting), 14 assists, and 12 rebounds in Houston’s 126-109 win on Thursday.

Harden, who leads the NBA in assists (12.6 per game), got off to a hot start after his patented Euro-step led to an open Trevor Ariza triple.

He didn’t stop there. Harden did half of his damage in just the first quarter.

The Beard kept finding his teammates, this time hitting Ryan Anderson for a three-pointer near the hash mark. Anderson finished with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from downtown.

Harden applied pressure the second half, this time locating Ariza in the corner yet again. His wing man finished with 16 points on a red-hot 5-of-8 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 shooting from three.

And then, like the gentleman he is, Harden rewarded Clint Capela for some good work on defense with a calm alley-oop on the other end.

The Rockets improved to 7-5 while Harden continued to shift gears in his race for MVP. He’s averaging 28.7 points, 12.6 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game on a 47.8% clip from the field and 37.5% shooting from three.

And while it’s unclear if Houston can make a deep playoff run, one thing is certain: Watching The Beard celebrate with his teammates and family is a reason to tune in.