NEW YORK -- James Harden has made a seamless transition from shooting guard to point guard for the Houston Rockets.

Filling in for Patrick Beverley, who is recovering from knee surgery, Harden has been superb in his new role. He recorded the second double-double in as many nights, compiling 30 points and 15 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 118-99 win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

Harden scored 41 points to go along with 15 assists in a 128-120 loss at Cleveland on Tuesday.

"I'm able to control the game a lot more," Harden said of his new position. "I'm able to advance passes, guys are running out, guys are prepared to shoot the ball.

"It is a variety of things where I can get the ball to guys a lot easier. We have so many offensive weapons that it makes my job a lot easier. I just have to pick my spots and make the right play."

Harden entered the game leading the league in assists at 11.8 per game.

The All-Star guard connected on 5 of 12 3-point attempts as Houston shot 39.5 percent (15 of 38) from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon added 21 points, and second-year pro Montrezl Harrell matched his career high with 17 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.

"(Harden) threw some passes that were ridiculous," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He hit some timely shots at the end of quarters. He played really well."

The Knicks (1-3) have given up at least 30 points in eight of their 16 quarters this season. The Rockets (3-2) scored 33, 35 and 32 points in the first three quarters.

Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks with 21 points, and Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee added 16 points apiece.

Late in the third quarter, Harden's 3-pointer from the top of the key ended an 8-0 spree to give Houston its biggest lead to that point, 100-78. Harrell contributed seven points in the quarter and Harden had seven assists.

With only four games under his belt at the point, Harden is improving his passing ability, according to D'Antoni.

"(Harden) is going to get better at it," the coach said. "He is going to find out where everyone is at. He is such a weapon that it's hard to figure out how to stop him because he does a little bit of everything.

"He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played. He makes the simple play, a simple play for him, not us."

Houston led 68-51 at the half, with Harden's playmaking a big reason. Taking advantage of myriad Houston screens and his own quickness, Harden deposited 18 points and dished out six assists, accounting for nearly half of the Rockets' 68 points.

It marked the second night in a row the Knicks allowed more than 60 points at the break. Detroit scored 64 points en route to a 102-89 win on Tuesday.

"It was almost like we let James do what he wanted to do," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. "He knows all those reads. You really have to be sharp on defense and we weren't."

Harden was hot early, showing no signs of his injured ankle. He was effective from outside as well as driving to the rim, scoring 15 points to help the Rockets to a 33-25 first-quarter lead. He converted 6 of 7 shots from the line in the quarter.

NOTES: Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis, the Rookie of the Year runner-up last season, blocked three shots but failed to hit a field goal in four attempts. He finished with three points. ... The Rockets outrebounded the Knicks, 54-34. ... The Rockets rested C Nene and assigned F/C Chinanu Onuaku to the D-League. .... Houston F Trevor Ariza spent parts of two seasons with the Knicks, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. Since being traded in 2006, he has averaged 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19 games against his former team. He had eight points Wednesday. ... Houston coach Mike D'Antoni coached the Knicks for parts of four seasons before resigning midway through the 2012 season.