Harden does it all — Rockets stop Cavs
James Harden was quick to say yes when asked if he’s playing at as high a level as he ever has.
The follow-up question of why wasn’t quite as easy for Houston’s guard.
“I don’t know,” he said, letting out an awkward laugh and looking around before continuing. “Work. Try to study the game and get better. Listen to people around me that push me and motivate me and try to be the best I can be. It’s pretty simple.”
Harden had a tripledouble of 35 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to help the Rockets beat Cleveland 117-113 in Houston on Thursday night.
Harden also had five steals and a block as Houston extended its win streak to four games.
LeBron James had 33 points for the Cavaliers, and Jeff Green added 27.
Cleveland used a 13-1 run, with five points from James, to cut the Rockets’ lead to 112-111 with 90 seconds left.
Harden missed a layup after that, but grabbed a rebound and threw an alley-oop to Clint Capela, who converted it and was fouled on the play. He hit the foul shot to make it 115-11 with just more than a minute remaining.
James made a layup on the other end, but Capela made another basket after a grabbing the rebound on a miss by Harden to put Houston back up by four with 10.7 seconds left.
Capela, who finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, blocked a shot by James in the final seconds to secure the win.
“We expect him to do that,” Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said about Capela’s solid performance. “He’s 23 years old. There’s no reason why he can’t keep getting better.”
The Cavaliers have lost six of their past eight games, leaving James to answer question after question about why they’re struggling.
“We played a pretty good game, but I’m not here for moral victories,” he said. “That’s not what I’m about.”
Harden has scored 30 or more points in three of the past four games, highlighted by a 56-point performance in a win over the Jazz on Sunday. It’s the second triple-double of the season for Harden and the 33rd of his career.
Kings 109, 76ers 108: De’Aaron Fox made a 19-foot jumper with 13.4 seconds remaining to lift host Sacramento over Philadelphia, which had won five straight. The 76ers’ Joel Embiid missed a shot from the free-throw line as time expired. Embiid had 22 points and 15 rebounds. Zach Randolph had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Kings, who scored the game’s final seven points.
Nuggets 102, Thunder 94: Emmanuel Mudiay scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, including the go-ahead three-pointer midway through the period, and host Denver prevailed. Carmelo Anthony, who spent his first 7½ seasons in the league in Denver before being traded to the Knicks in 2011, had 28 points to lead Oklahoma City, which has lost four in a row.
Wizards 111, Lakers 95: John Wall scored 23 points and Bradley Beal had 22 as Washington beat visiting Los Angeles and cold-shooting Lonzo Ball. Ball had 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but went 3-for-12 from the floor. The Wizards’ Otto Porter Jr. had 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Raptors 122, Pelicans 118: DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and Serge Ibaka had 19 for host Toronto. Jrue Holiday had a season-high 34 points and 11 assists, and DeMarcus Cousins added 20 points and 15 rebounds for New Orleans.
All-Star Game to Chicago: The NBA is bringing the All-Star Game to Chicago for the first time since Michael Jordan dazzled his home crowd. A person familiar with the situation said the All-Star festivities will be held in the Windy City in 2020. Commissioner Adam Silver, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Bulls officials are expected to make the announcement Friday at the United Center. The last time the All-Star festivities were held in Chicago, 1988, Jordan put on quite a show. He and Atlanta’s Dominique Wilkins soared in an epic slamdunk contest, with Jordan edging out Wilkins.