Harden triples again as Rockets stay hot

James Harden had 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his second straight 40-point triple-double and the Houston Rockets outlasted the Charlotte Hornets, 121114, on Tuesday night for their ninth straight win.

The Rockets missed 10 straight shots and let an 18-point lead evaporate before Coach Mike D’Antoni called a timeout with 2:26 left. Harden made two layups and Houston hung on.

Harden got his 11th triple-double this season. He is the fourth player in NBA history with at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in consecutive games, joining Michael Jordan, Pete Maravich and Russell Westbrook.

Kemba Walker had 25 points for the Hornets, who dropped their third in a row.

at Toronto 114, Boston 106: DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 41 points, Kyle Lowry had 24 and the Raptors came from 16 points down in the third quarter to end the Celtics’ four-game winning streak.

at Washington 101, Chicago 99:

John Wall scored 26 points, including a game-winning baseline jumper with 5.9 seconds left, and added 14 assists as the Wizards moved above .500 with a victory over a Bulls team playing without Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade.

Atlanta 117, at Brooklyn 97: Dennis Schroder had 19 points and 10 assists, Dwight Howard added 14 points and 16 rebounds, and the Hawks won their season-high seventh straight game while handing the Nets their seventh loss in a row and 12th in 13 games.

Milwaukee 109, at San Antonio 107:

Michael Beasley scored a seasonhigh 28 points in place of an ill Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks rallied to end the Spurs’ nine-game home winning streak. Kawhi Leonard had 30 points for San Antonio.

at Utah 100, Cleveland 92: Gordon Hayward scored 28 points, 11 during a 16-0 third-quarter run, as the Jazz improved to 9-1 with Hayward and George Hill in the lineup.

at Golden State 107, Miami 95:

Stephen Curry had 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, Kevin Durant added 28 points and the Warriors picked it up after trailing at halftime.

at Sacramento 100, Detroit 94: DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 13 rebounds for the Kings, who dominated the fourth quarter.

Portland 108, at Lakers 87