Harden, Williams help Rockets silence Thunder
HOUSTON — James Harden was Houston’s fourth-leading scorer on Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
However, it was clear to everyone that he was the key to Houston’s victory.
Lou Williams scored 31 points off the bench, Harden finished with 22 points and 12 assists, and the Rockets never trailed while cruising to a 137-125 victory.
“He could’ve easily gotten 40 points and he could’ve just kept on going,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But he knew these guys were going and threw the ball their way. He just plays the game the way it should be played.”
Russell Westbrook had 39 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his second straight triple-double and 36th this season, but Harden led the Rockets to a 25-point bulge through three quarters in the matchup between top MVP candidates.
“They hit a lot of shots, man,” Westbrook said. “They got hot and especially with a team like that, they get hot and it can be trouble.”
Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon added 24 points apiece for the Rockets, whose lead was trimmed to eight on a 3-pointer by Westbrook with about 90 seconds left. The Rockets scored four quick points after that to secure the victory.
Harden certainly loves to score, but had plenty of fun watching so many other guys get in on the action.
“Especially when you’ve got several guys knocking down shots and making plays,” he said. “Trevor did a really good job on both ends and obviously Lou and Eric. Pat (Beverley) didn’t score the ball but he did so many other things that won’t show up on the stat sheet but got us a victory.”
WARRIORS 106, GRIZZLIES 94:
In Oakland, Calif., Klay Thompson scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half and Golden State pulled away in the fourth quarter for its seventh straight win.
Stephen Curry added 21 points and 11 assists, Andre Iguodala scored 20 and Draymond Green had nine points and seven rebounds as the Warriors (59-14) extended their lead to 2½ games over the Spurs in the race for the top spot in the West.
KINGS 98, CLIPPERS 97:
In Los Angeles, Willie Cauley-Stein made a follow shot with two seconds left and Sacramento rallied from an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit.
Down 85-67 early in the fourth, the Kings rallied while Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan were resting. Buddy Hield hit three 3-pointers in the final minutes, pulling the Kings to 96-93 with 2:10 to play.
Griffin made one of two free throws with 1:57 left before the Kings cut it to 97-96 on Langston Galloway’s 3-pointer with 1:23 to play.
BULLS 109, BUCKS 94:
In Milwaukee, Nikola Mirotic tied a season high with 28 points, Jimmy Butler had 20 points and a career-high 14 assists, and Chicago pulled away in the second half.
PACERS 107, 76ERS 94:
In Indianapolis, Myles Turner had 17 points and 16 rebounds, Paul George scored 21 points, and Indiana beat Philadelphia.
Jeff Teague added 16 points for the Pacers.
NETS 107, HAWKS 92:
In Atlanta, Brook Lopez scored 23 points and Brooklyn handed the short-handed Hawks their seventh straight loss.
Lopez became the Nets’ career leader in field goals, passing Buck Williams, made when he sank a 10-foot jumper with less than five minutes remaining.
HORNETS 120, SUNS 106:
In Charlotte, N.C., Kemba Walker had 31 points and nine assists, and the Hornets handed Phoenix its eighth straight loss.
Devin Booker, who became the sixth player in NBA history to score 70 points in a loss Saturday night to Boston, got off to a slow start but finished with 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field. TJ Warren had 21 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
TRAIL BLAZERS 97: LAKERS 81:
In Los Angeles, Damian Lillard scored 22 points and Allen Crabbe added 18 as Portland routed Los Angeles.
D’Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 22 points.
PELICANS 115, NUGGETS 90:
In Denver, Anthony Davis had 31 points and 15 rebounds, helping to compensate for the absence of injured DeMarcus Cousins, and New Orleans boosted its flickering playoff hopes.
CELTICS 112, HEAT 108:
In Boston, Isaiah Thomas scored 30 points, including 20 in the second half, and the Celtics earned their fourth straight victory.
The win moved Boston within percentage points of Cleveland for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics have one more victory than the Cavaliers, but also one more loss. Boston (48-26) also equaled its win total from last season.