Just minutes later, he was criticised again after appearing to flop after barely being touched while in possession.
Harden had an absolute monster of a first quarter, scoring 17 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists in just 10 minutes.
The Houston Rockets roared to a 39-19 lead after the first quarter, as Harden showed his class by toying with the Utah Jazz defence.
His most impressive, yet embarrassing moment, came after he crossed over Ricky Rubio, making the tall number three fall over.
After watching his opponent fall to the floor, Harden stepped back, shimmied his shoulders and took a three, only to see the ball bounce off the rim.
Fans saw the hilarity in the moment, and joked that the Jazz need to replace Rubio with a different guard.
One fan wrote: “LMAO Harden missed. How embarrassing!”
“Death, taxes and James Harden embarrassing Ricky Rubio,” another posted.
Another wrote: “Harden is EMBARRASSING Utah.”
“Ricky Rubio gotta start guarding Harden lol,” one fan joked.
However, things weren’t all positive for the Rockets’ main star, after he was accused of having flopped after a weak foul call.
Fans took to Twitter to call out the forward, with one even praising him despite the call.
One wrote: “My goodness Harden is a flop.”
“Harden already in the flop hall of fame,” another joked.
Another wrote: “Harden really milking that flop.”
One fan posted: “Bruh watching Harden flop is so cringe smh.”
“James Harden deserves an Oscar for that flop against Joe Ingles,” another tweeted.
“Harden is an animal.. He’s also king of the flop,” one fan joked.