James Harden said he felt "like Usain Bolt" when he went coast-to-coast to snatch victory for the Houston Rockets against the Denver Nuggets on Monday.

The Rockets and Nuggets played a high-scoring shootout that went down to the wire and was settled when Harden set off at full tilt to run the length of the court and produce the decisive lay-up.

Harden grabbed the rebound off Denver's miss and travelled 88 feet to the other basket with just 7.4 seconds remaining.

He not only was able to get all the way to other basket in time, but also managed to weave his way in and out of traffic before finishing it off, even leaving 2.4 seconds to play.

His speed rivalled the Washington Wizards' John Wall, so a reporter asked after the game if he felt that was a good comparison. 

"I was running so fast, I feel like I was faster than that," Harden said. "I felt like Usain Bolt."

Harden has been on an incredible run lately as the regular NBA season nears its end. He had four triple doubles in a row entering Monday night, and finished with 39 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds.

The Rockets now have a strong grip on the third seed in the Western Conference behind only the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.