James Harden sneaks baseline jam in front of LeBron James

Feb. 22 (UPI) -- James Harden ran right in front of LeBron James for a powerful baseline slam dunk during the Houston Rockets' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Harden's high-flying hoop came with about 9:30 remaining in the third quarter of the Rockets' 111-106 setback on Thursday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Rockets led 67-56 at the time.

Rockets point guard Chris Paul took a handoff pass from Clint Capela beyond the 3-point arc before he spotted the reigning NBA MVP in the right corner.

Harden broke away from a defender and ran the baseline before receiving a beautiful bounce pass from Paul. Harden caught the pass and reached the paint, where James slid over to defend. But instead of contesting the shot, James moved out of Harden's path, clearing the runway for a ferocious one-handed finish. Harden celebrated the dunk with his fake nosebleed celebration.

James netted 29 points and had 11 rebounds and six assists in the win. Harden scored a game-high 30 points and had six assists and five rebounds. Paul had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Rockets.

Houston faces the Golden State Warriors at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The Lakers battle the New Orleans Pelicans at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.