Harden scores 51 again, but Clippers bag victory
HOUSTON — After Austin Rivers scored just six points in the first half Friday against the Houston Rockets, his Los Angeles Clippers teammates had a message for him.
“Austin, you’ve got to be more aggressive,” Rivers recalled them saying.
He took their advice, scoring 30 of his career-high 36 points after halftime to allow the Clippers to withstand James Harden’s second straight 51-point performance in a 128-118 victory.
The Rockets, who had a 14-game win streak snapped Wednesday by the Lakers, lost consecutive games for the second time this season and the first since Oct. 28 and 30.
■ At Oakland, Calif., Kevin Durant had 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four blocks for Golden State in its 11th straight victory. Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points for Los Angeles.
■ At Milwaukee, Khris Middleton scored 28 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo 26 for Milwaukee, which closed on a 9-0 run. Kemba Walker scored 32 points for Charlotte before exiting with an apparent injury with 1:42 left.
■ At Oklahoma City, Russell Westbrook hit a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to cap a 30-point, 15-assist outing for Oklahoma City. Marco Belinelli scored 30 points for Atlanta, which made 15 of 32 3-point attempts.
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At Portland, Ore., Nikola Jokic scored 27 points for Denver, which won in Portland for the first time since 2013 — a span of nine games. The Blazers were without top scorer Damian Lillard (hamstring strain).
■ At Orlando,
Warriors 113, Lakers 106 — Bucks 109, Hornets 104 — Thunder 120, Hawks 117 — Nuggets 102, Trail Blazers 85 — Pelicans 111, Magic 97 —
Fla., Demarcus Cousins had 26 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for New Orleans, which shot 50 percent and never trailed. Orlando has lost seven straight and not led in any of its past three games.
■ At Detroit, Andre Drummond had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Detroit, which won for the fourth time in five games. Kristaps Porzingis scored 29 points for New York, which had won five of six.
■ At New York, Rondae Hollis-jefferson had 21 points and 11 rebounds for Brooklyn, which shot 50 percent, held Washington to 36.6 percent shooting and never trailed while snapping a fourgame skid.
■ At Miami, Wayne Ellington tied a career high with 28 points for Miami, which never trailed, opened each half with a 12-0 run and shot 64 percent, which ranks second in franchise history.
Pistons 104, Knicks 101 — Nets 119, Wizards 84 — Heat 113, Mavericks 101 —