OAKLAND, Calif. -- James Harden is not of this Earth. The Houston Rockets guard put up 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds on Thursday night, capping it off with a ridiculously contested game-winning 3-pointer with one second left in overtime to beat the Golden State Warriors, 135-134.

Clint Capela added 29 points and 21 rebounds for the Rockets, while Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points in the loss. 

Here are some takeaways from the game.

The incredible James Harden

With no Chris Paul or Eric Gordon, the Warriors could essentially throw all of their defensive attention at Harden -- it didn't matter. Sure, Harden's efficiency was lacking, but he absolutely willed the Rockets back into the game in the third quarter with improbable step-back 3-pointers and miraculous assists, and continued his magic into the overtime period. Capela feasted on the Warriors' soft interior largely due to what seemed like an infinite number of slick setups from Harden. The reigning MVP is on one of the most impressive scoring streaks we've seen in quite some time, five straight games with more than 40 points, and Thursday was no exception.

"He can get any shot he wants," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said of Harden after the game. "His threat is getting to the rim any time he wants. It's tough. Obviously I don't think we've seen the likes of this offense and the explosion he has."

Harden's helpers

Harden was phenomenal, to be sure, but he was aided by a full cast of characters who stepped up throughout the game to keep the Rockets afloat. Austin Rivers (18 points) was a one-man offense at times, while Gerald Green (16 points) was doing his best Klay Thompson impression, launching 3-pointers at will. Overall the Rockets had five players in double-figures, not something you would expect to see looking at Houston's depleted roster.

"He's a great pickup," Harden said of Rivers, who came to Houston in a trade with the Wizards. "On both ends of the floor, defensively he's aggressive and offensively he made some big time shots. He gets to the rim, he fits in well with what we're trying to do and so I'm happy he's part of the team."

Curry gets cooking

Despite a relatively slow start that included missed shots and sloppy turnovers, Curry got things going after making a high-arcing contested 3-pointer from the corner midway through the first quarter. The shot seemed to energize him, and he kept it going throughout the game, making shots from deep and finishing around the rim. With a relatively slow night from Kevin Durant (26 points, 10-23 field goals), the Warriors needed Curry's playmaking and shot creation.

Rockets defense

The Houston defense took a considerable step backwards to start the season, at least partially due to the loss of Trevor Ariza and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, but they have been better during the team's recent hot stretch, and were all over the court on Thursday against the Warriors. PJ Tucker did an exemplary job guarding Durant for most of the night, while having the versatility to jump out on Curry or Thompson after switches. Overall the defense was just wreaking havoc, and it's a big reason why Houston was able to turn this into an incredible game.

"When you face a good defens and they get through the first couple of options, you got to make shots and you got to play one-on-one. That's just the way it is. It would be nice if we could go picket fence for Jimmy Chitwood every play, but sometimes it just comes down to a guy making a shot, and that's what James did at the end, and it's why they won."