Harden entered Friday’s game with the Rockets coming off a victory over the Detroit Pistons where he debuted with 37 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and four steals.

The Hawks struggled at times to find their offense since trading guard Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer. New signee Lou Williams led the Hawks with 22 points in his debut since moving back to his hometown from the Philadelphia 76ers.  Josh Smith added a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

James Harden proved to be too much for the Hawks to handle and had his way slicing through the Hawks defense.

Coach Larry Drew admitted that Hawks had problems with rebounding and on the defensive, which Harden exposed.

“When he gets the basketball in transition, he’s going to get to the basket,” Drew said. “It won’t be just one guy’s responsibility, it will be a team responsibility.”

Jeremy Lin mentioned that Harden makes a significant difference in when he plays at such a high level.

“He frees everybody up,” Lin said, who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. “ He knows what he’s doing. We’re thankful that  he showed up.”

Harden is getting use to having the offense ran through him compared to coming off the bench in Oklahoma City where he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award.

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