Harden clinches it late as Rockets edge Mavs
Pelicans survive James surge to upstage Cavaliers in overtime
DALLAS: James Harden scored 25 points after another rough shooting start against Dallas as the Houston Rockets beat the Mavericks 100-96 on Friday.
Harden, who missed his first 11 shots in a home loss to Dallas last month, was three of 12 in the first half before making seven of 11. That included a clinching jumper that hit the rim and backboard before bouncing on the rim a couple more times and going in for a four-point lead with seven seconds left.
The All-Star guard also had nine assists, including one to Terrence Jones for a wide-open dunk that put Houston ahead for good at 98-96 in the final minute.
Deron Williams had 22 points and six assists to lead the Mavericks.
In New Orleans, Anthony Davis had 31 points, 12 rebounds and four steals as the Pelicans survived a stunning fourth-quarter surge by LeBron James to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-108 in overtime.
Davis scored six points in the extra period with three jumpers from beyond 12 feet.
The Pelicans led by 13 with less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Cavs stormed back to take a late lead, with James scoring 21 of their last 24 points in regulation.
Jrue Holiday’s three pulled New Orleans back into a tie at 105 with eight seconds left before James, who finished with 37 points, missed a 19-footer that could have won it. James didn’t score in overtime, missing two shots.
New York’s Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 19 as the Knicks beat the Brooklyn Nets 108-91 to get back to .500.
Arron Afflalo added 18 points for the Knicks (10-10), who dominated lowly Philadelphia and Brooklyn in their last two games after a four-game losing streak. They reclaimed city bragging rights with ease, leading by as much as 31 points.
Brook Lopez scored 21 points, and Thaddeus Young had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets. They had won two in a row and have a lot to fix before they host the unbeaten Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
The Atlanta Hawks downed the Los Angeles Lakers 100-87 after Al Horford scored 16 points, and Paul Millsap and Kent Bazemore each added 15.
In the third game since announcing his retirement plans earlier this week, Kobe Bryant scored 14 points on four-for-19 shooting. Lou Williams topped the struggling Lakers with 18 points.
Andre Drummond had 17 points and 23 rebounds, and Reggie Jackson scored 23 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks 102-95 and Washington’s Bradley Beal scored 34 points as the Wizards rallied to beat the Phoenix Suns 109-106 in a turnover-filled game.