HOUSTON -- Despite a woeful record that has them occupying the basement of the Eastern Conference standings, the Philadelphia 76ers had showcased enough feistiness to warrant the full attention of the Houston Rockets from the opening tip on Monday night.

With guard James Harden flirting with a third consecutive triple-double, the Rockets raced past the 76ers 115-88 at Toyota Center.

Harden, named the Western Conference Player of the Week earlier on Monday, produced 33 points, seven rebounds and nine assists in just 34 minutes as the Rockets (6-4) led by as many as 29 points en route to victory. They reeled off 24 fast-break points, and when they weren't beating the 76ers (1-9) in transition, the trio of Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon and Harden were torching Philadelphia from deep.

Harden, Ariza and Gordon combined to shoot 13 of 26 from the 3-point line as Ariza finished with 17 points and eight rebounds while Gordon chipped in 16 points. The Rockets raced to a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind an explosive period from Harden and maintained that advantage while countering 76ers rallies.

"I thought they came out with the right intensity, they came out the way they should have," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We talked about it and came out in the second half the way we should have. That way we got some good rest. I saw a lot of good things."

Philadelphia rookie center Joel Embiid made his first road start this season and posted a double-double with team highs in points (13) and rebounds (10). Fellow rookie forward Dario Saric chipped in 11 points as five 76ers scored in double figures.

But Philadelphia was a sieve defensively, allowing 46 paint points, 42.5 percent 3-point shooting, and 26 second-chance points in addition to the transition barrage.

"I thought we had bad transition defense and I thought our defense wasn't good this game," Embiid said. "We just have to get better at it."

Embiid carried the 76ers to a promising start, scoring seven of their first nine points, and Philadelphia later carved out a 12-7 lead behind a Saric 3-pointer. But when Embiid sat in deference to his minutes restriction, the Rockets darted ahead.

Harden scored 23 points in the first quarter, making 8 of 8 shots from the floor and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.

With the Rockets leading 18-15 in the first quarter, Harden scored 17 consecutive points to extend the lead to 35-24. Ariza drained a 3 with 1.8 seconds left to give the Rockets a 12-point lead entering the second quarter.

From there, Houston answered every Philadelphia run with enough resistance to maintain a comfortable lead. The Rockets blew the game open in the third quarter, with Harden sparking a 14-3 run that pushed the advantage to 92-63 with 3:00 left.

"We felt like it was still in us to make this into a game but the game got away from us," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "We saw a great player dominate the first period and we dug ourselves a hole from the beginning."

Philadelphia reserve center Jahlil Okafor scored just four points on 2-of-11 shooting after delivering a season-high 18 points on Saturday night against the Hawks. Rockets center Clint Capela was largely responsible for shackling Okafor, embracing the challenge of defending both 76ers centers and producing a career-high-tying five blocked shots to go along with eight points and a Rockets season-high 13 rebounds.

"I loved it," Harden said. "I even saw him during pregame stay out a couple extra minutes to watch Embiid and Okafor warm up. That's good. A young guy like that who takes on a challenge and loves moments like that, it's going to got a long way for him."

NOTES: Rockets G Eric Gordon returned to the starting lineup, ending a three-game experiment with F Corey Brewer alongside G James Harden in the backcourt. Houston coach Mike D'Antoni sought a scoring boost with this second unit, the reason behind his moving Gordon out of the starting lineup. D'Antoni also believed that the slashing Brewer would help the starters maintain a hastened offensive pace. ... 76ers C Joel Embiid was back in the starting lineup after sitting out the second half of a back-to-back Saturday night in Atlanta. Embiid made his first road appearance of the season after starting six games, all in Philadelphia. ... Rockets G Patrick Beverley is likely to return on Thursday night against the Trail Blazers. Houston plays the front end of a back-to-back in Oklahoma City on Wednesday night. Beverley underwent left knee surgery during the preseason.