Harden scores 56, stirs MVP chants as Rockets cruise
HOUSTON — James Harden had just scored a career-high 56 points when he was asked if he knew he had fallen one point shy of the Houston Rockets’ record.
Harden shrugged and replied, “We won, right?” And they did it with Harden only playing 35 minutes in a 137-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday that ran their Western Conference-best record to 8-3.
Harden, showered with “MVP! MVP!” chants at multiple times during the game, fell shy of Calvin Murphy’s 57 points from 1978. But he joined Wilt Chamberlain as the lone NBA players to have 10 assists and shoot better than 75 percent from the field in a 50-point effort.
Harden had 13 assists and shot 76 percent, hitting 19 of 25 shots after missing his last three attempts.
■ At Cleveland, Dennis Schroder scored 28 points for Atlanta, which halted an eight-game slide. Lebron James had 26 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland, which lost Kevin Love (illness) in the third quarter.
■ At Toronto, Bradley Beal scored 38 points for Washington, which was without All-star John Wall (left shoulder sprain). Demar Derozan scored 26 for Toronto.
■ At New York, Kristaps Porzingis scored a career-high 40 points and added eight rebounds and six blocks for New York, which trailed by 19 late in the third quarter.
■ At Minneapolis, Jeff Teague had 18 points and 12 assists for Minnesota, which had six double-figure scorers in winning a fifth straight game for the first time since Jan. 2-10, 2009.
■ At Los Angeles, James Johnson made two free throws with 8.7 seconds left for Miami, which recovered after blowing a 25-point lead. Hassan Whiteside had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Heat.
■ At Orlando, Fla., Jaylen Brown had 18 points and Al Horford 14 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which won its eighth straight and dealt Orlando its second straight loss.
■ At Portland, Ore., Damian Lillard scored on a driving layup with 29.5 seconds left that gave Portland a lead it didn’t relinquish and finished with 36 points and 13 assists.
■ At Los Angeles, Brook Lopez scored 21 points for Los Angeles, which blew most of a 22-point lead before winning for the third time in four games. Tyreke Evans scored 26 for Memphis.
■ At San Antonio, Lamarcus Aldridge scored 21 points for San Antonio, which held Phoenix to 13 third-quarter points.
Hawks 117, Cavaliers 115 — Wizards 107, Raptors 96 — Knicks 108, Pacers 101 — Timberwolves 112, Hornets 94 — Heat 104, Clippers 101 — Celtics 104, Magic 88 — Trail Blazers 103, Thunder 99 — Lakers 107, Grizzlies 102 — Spurs 112, Suns 95 —