OKLAHOMA CITY - It started with a few amateur music videos, a couple kids emerging from their teenage years getting together to hang out.

These days, just about anyone can get a taste of the friendship that has blossomed between All-Star Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden, most famous in the past two weeks or so for the elbow to the head he took from the Los Angeles Lakers' Metta World Peace.

Along with developing into a dangerous third scoring threat for the Thunder, Harden is starting to gain notoriety by starring alongside Durant in commercials. Harden stars opposite Durant in a spot for the movie "Battleship," the two playing one-on-one at the Thunder's old practice gym between images of ships exploding at sea. They show their goofier side alongside Kate Upton in a "Take a Supermodel to Work" commercial for Skullcandy headphones.

"We just instantly clicked when he got here," Durant said. "He's one of those guys you really respect for what he does, and just a good person to hang around. We've been like brothers ever since he's been here. It's kind of hard to explain. When he first got here, it was like we've known each other for a long time."

Away from basketball, Durant and Harden started getting together with Jeff Green - who was drafted the same year as Durant but has since been traded to Boston - during Harden's rookie year two seasons ago. Harden was 20 and Durant 21 and both had the same taste in music, even if Durant had a more reserved personality than Harden, shown by the way he dresses and refuses to trim his beard.

"I bring it out of him," said Harden, the No. 3 pick in the 2009 draft. "That's what I'm here for, on the court off the court. I make him have a good time and laugh. Opposites attract."

Lately, he's also playing the best basketball of his three-year career. Harden had the first 40-point game of his career last month in Phoenix, close to where he played at Arizona State, and he took over in the fourth quarter to lead Oklahoma City back from 13 points down for a 103-97 win in Game 4 in Dallas to complete a first-round sweep.

"I think I've gotten into a groove this past month, month and a half, just getting a feel for it, especially going into the playoffs, knowing where we came from last year and where we want to go this year," Harden said. "Obviously, I want to play my best basketball even when I'm not making shots."

Harden was the NBA's top-scoring reserve (averaging 16.8 points) and is a leading candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, while Durant won the league's scoring title for the third straight year this season.

Combined with All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, Harden and Durant make up the highest-scoring threesome in the league - better even than Miami All-Stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Coach Scott Brooks said Harden's offensive performance in the fourth quarter of Game 4, when he scored 15 of his team-high 29 points, went beyond being the best Harden could play.

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Perfect chemistry