Point guard Harden rallies Rockets past Heat

NEW YORK: James Harden produced his seventh career 50-point, 10-assist game to spur Houston Rockets to a 121-118 comeback victory over visiting Miami Heat.

Harden finished with 58 points and 10 assists to key the rally but received help down the stretch from Austin Rivers (17 points on 7-of-8 shooting) and Chris Paul, whose pull-up jumper with 46.2 seconds left followed an errant Harden three-pointer and extended the lead to three.

Miami grabbed a 113-103 lead on a Goran Dragic 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining, but the Rockets responded with a 14-0 run to jump in front.

Harden produced a three-point play and two driving lay-ups during that stretch, but Paul secured the lead with two free throws at the 3:27 mark.

The Heat shot 51.9% overall but went cold at the wrong time, posting only 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting in the final period.

Seven players scored in double figures for Miami, with Dragic and Kelly Olynyk scoring 21 points apiece while Houston native Justise Winslow added 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

Aaron Gordon had 22 points and 15 rebounds as Orlando moved into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a win over visiting Golden State.

Terrence Ross added 16 points off the bench, and Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic.

Orlando, who have won seven of their past nine games, tied Charlotte Hornets for the last playoff position in the East.

Stephen Curry had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Golden State.

DeMarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson each scored 21. Kevin Durant took the night off, missing a game for the first time this season. The Warriors have lost backto-back games for the first time since December and have lost four of their past six. — Reuters