Harden scores 44 points in Rockets' victory.

Star James Harden was unstoppable tonight, leading the Houston Rockets to a 104-101 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first game of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoff series.

Harden, also known as 'The Beard,' had to play at his best to secure the win in a tightly contested game. He scored 44 points, with a shooting percentage of 58.3% from the field, including seven three-pointers out of the ten attempted by his team.

Harden, a strong contender for the Most Valuable Player award of the 2017-2018 regular season, led his team with 15 assists, distributing eight of them. Clint Capela also had a strong performance with 24 points and led the team with 12 rebounds out of the total of 37.

The Timberwolves had a collective offensive effort, with Canadian player Andrew Wiggins scoring 18 points, Derrick Rose with 16, Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford with 15 each, and Jimmy Butler with 13.