James Harden Drops 41 as Rockets Earn Game 3 OT Win vs. Kevin Durant, Warriors

James Harden posted 41 points, nine rebounds and six assists as the Houston Rockets earned a 126-121 overtime win versus the visiting Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of their NBA Western Conference second-round playoff series.

Harden scored seven of the Rockets' last nine overtime points, including a running floater in the lane with 26.1 seconds left:

Rockets guard Eric Gordon added 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting.

Kevin Durant scored a game-high 46 points for the Warriors, who lead the best-of-seven matchup 2-1. KD is now averaging 39.4 points in his last seven playoff games.

Draymond Green added 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Warriors Are Unbeatable When Green Brings A-Game

Green finds himself in a select group of players who can significantly impact the game without scoring thanks to his rebounding, passing and defensive skills.

When Green is scoring, though, the Warriors are nearly impossible to beat.

The San Francisco Chronicle and Warriors PR provided Golden State's record when Green earns a triple-double:

Granted, that number is now 27-1, but that's still pretty good.

The seven-year veteran made a significant scoring impact Saturday, perhaps never more so when he hit this clutch three-pointer to close the third:

That bucket regained some momentum for the Warriors, who fell behind by double digits in the third before cutting the lead to seven entering the fourth.

Green also showed off his deft passing, most notably when he found Durant on a backdoor cut:

The former Michigan State star routinely dominates on the boards and set a franchise mark on Saturday:

On defense, Green is the Warriors' quarterback, as evidenced by his communication:

Drew Shiller of Warriors Outsider summarized all facets of Green's play perfectly:

The Warriors may have fallen short, but Green and Durant were the reasons the Warriors were able to stay close. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry combined to shoot just 13-of-39, and the bench scored just seven points and collectively had a minus-20.

Chances are the Splash Brothers will shoot better and the bench will contribute more going forward. If those two things happen and Green continues his torrid pace, then the Rockets will face a significant uphill climb to win this series.

Green is destroying the Rockets in the playoffs, averaging 16.0 points on 65.9 percent shooting, 10.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists. He's a significant problem for Houston and all teams, and that won't change moving forward.

Rockets Need Herculean Effort from Clint Capela to Get Back into Series

The Rockets won Game 3 primarily because Harden and Gordon combined for 71 points, 36 of which came off three-pointers.

Houston has won plenty of games this season where Harden puts the team's offense on his back, but the Warriors are far better than most of those opponents. Chances are the reigning NBA MVP isn't going to score over 40 a game en route to leading an upset. He needs more assistance.

He got that Saturday primarily from Gordon, but there's another player who needs to step up and provide a herculean effort on both ends. The best candidate to do that is Clint Capela.

The big man struggled in the Warriors' two wins to open the series, averaging nine points and eight boards. However, he started to get back on track with a 13-point, 11-rebound effort in Game 3.

In the first quarter, the big man posted six points, six rebounds, one steal and one of the better postseason blocks you'll ever see, which lit up the Toyota Center crowd:

He helped keep the Rockets hanging around in a first quarter where Harden scored just four points on 2-of-6 shooting. It was a phenomenal effort from a player who has struggled against the Warriors in games and seasons past.

The Rockets likely don't win without Capela's first-quarter performance, but the problem is the big man reverted back to his earlier form for the remainder of the game.

The big man had seven points and five rebounds for the rest of the contest and hit the bench for the closing stretch.

As Space City Scoop noted, the Rockets were looking to take away Capela on the offensive end:

Capela's offensive game is powerful at times, but it's also limited to lobs, putbacks and dunks, more or less. By taking away one facet of his game, the Warriors significantly hindered him on offense.

But Capela can provide much more than his scoring, and that hasn't happened much outside of one quarter in this series: He's posted just 23 rebounds and two blocks in the 11 other frames.

Head coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters after Game 2 what he felt Capela needed to do moving forward:

"I just think he has to be more aggressive, more forceful, make an impact on the game. We play the way we play. We don't change things up."

That aggressiveness clearly showed in the first, with Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle calling him "extra active." David Weiner of ClutchFans also noted that "getting Capela going ... [was] key."

Capela may not be able to get going as much offensively, especially when the Warriors get into their small-ball Hamptons Five lineup. But if he shows the defensive aggression exhibited on the Andre Iguodala block, then he's going to cause serious problems no matter who the Warriors throw on the floor.

With all due respect to the talented bigs on Golden State's roster, the Warriors don't have a true big of Capela's caliber. The Houston center needs to take advantage to give his team a much better chance to survive and advance.

What's Next?

Houston will host Golden State for Game 4 on Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET.