Harden outduels James as Rockets ‘sink’ Cavs

Celtics extend Bulls misery

The British Academy of Sport (BAS) organized the largest ever International Sports Tournament between the various Embassies in Kuwait. Pictured (left) are the Olympia Cup winners Philippines Ladies and (right) are Kuwait, Independence Cup winners. HOUSTON, March 13, (AP): James Harden and the Houston Rockets have shown at times this season that they could be title contenders. Lately, however, they’ve failed to rise to the occasion against the NBA’s elite.

That changed on Sunday night when Harden had a triple-double of 38 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to outduel fellow MVP candidate LeBron James and lead the Rockets to a 117-112 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We beat Golden State. We beat San Antonio, but that was earlier,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We haven’t had one (recently), so this was good. This will give us a little boost.”

The Rockets were up by six when Nene made a layup before intercepting a bad pass by James. Patrick Beverley made a 3-pointer on the other end to push the lead to 116-107 with less than two minutes left.

Kyrie Irving hit a 3 with less than a minute to go and added two free throws after that to get the Cavaliers within four. But then Harden sank a free throw to end Cleveland’s run and secure the victory.

It was the 16th triple-double this season for Harden and his 31st game with at least 30 points. “It’s a big win for us, especially because we’re down the stretch and it’s time to begin preparing ourselves for postseason,” Harden said. “Big win against the defending champs.”

James had 30 points and Irving scored 28 for the Cavaliers, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue thinks James and Irving struggled after the team also played on Saturday night.

“We played hard and fought down the stretch and got tired,” Lue said.

James lamented the fact that Houston got 20 offensive rebounds to just four by the Cavaliers.

Celtics 100, Bulls 80 In Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and later joined fans doing the wave as it circled TD Garden, and Boston handed Chicago its fifth straight loss.

The Celtics rushed to a 13-0 lead, shutting out Chicago until Dwyane Wade’s jumper nearly six minutes into the game.

Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving (2) shoots as Houston Rockets’ Nene Hilario (42), Ryan Anderson (3) and James Harden (13) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, March 12, in Houston.

The Rockets won 117-112. (AP)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (left), controls the ball while Philadelphia 76ers guard Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game,

March 12, in Los Angeles. (AP) 29.2 points per game, played only 24 minutes and sat the entire final quarter. He had some fun with the fans in the closing minutes of the blowout, taking part with teammate Jae Crowder in the crowd’s cheer.

Avery Bradley had 17 points. Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine led the Bulls with 13 points apiece.

Nets 120, Knicks 112 In New York, Jeremy Lin ended an 0-for-9 start with a 3-pointer that halted a Knicks comeback, and Brooklyn beat New York for its first home victory of 2017.

The Nets ended a 16-game losing streak at Barclays Center. They hadn’t won here since Dec. 26, when Lin strained his hamstring in a victory over Charlotte.

Trail Blazers 110, Suns 101 In Phoenix, Damian Lillard scored 28 of his 39 points in the first half and Portland recovered to beat Phoenix after blowing an 18-point second-half lead.

Lillard scored just four points in the fourth quarter, but fellow guard C.J. McCollum added 26. Portland pulled within 1-1/2 games of Denver for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

76ers 118, Lakers 116 In Los Angeles, Rookie Dario Saric scored a career-high 29 points, and Jahlil Okafor added 23 to help Philadelphia beat Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who got a career-best 30 points from Jordan Clarkson, rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to take a lead late in the fourth quarter. But T.J. McConnell’s 12-foot fall away jumper with 50 seconds left gave the 76ers the lead for good.

Pacers 102, Heat 98 In Indianapolis, Paul George had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Indiana’s victory over Miami.

Myles Turner added 15 points for Indiana, and Jeff Teague had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with 26 points and 21 rebounds.

Some of the participants pose for the camera.