Harden scores 59, Rockets win
James Harden needed every one of his 59 points against the Wizards.
Harden made one of two freethrow tries with 2.4 seconds left to give the Rockets a 159158 victory at Washington on Wednesday night.
“I didn’t know we were going to have to score about 160 points to win, but whatever it takes, it took,” Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said. “They played unbelievable. They didn’t miss anything. We just let down a little bit and they made everything.”
Washington didn’t make everything, but did shot 62.6% from the field and made 20 of 36 3point tries.
Bradley Beal scored 46 points for Washington, hitting three free throws with 8.1 seconds left to tie it 158158.
“I hate moral victories,” Beal said. “But it’s always a good feeling knowing that when we lose, it’s always one or two things we can fix.”
Harden had 38 points in the second half — 21 in the third quarter and 17 in the fourth.
“The only way we’ll get to where we want to go is our defensive efforts, and it has to be consistent,” Harden said. Hornets 118, Kings 111: The Kings were booed off the floor at home after another collapse, losing their fifth in a row to start the season for the first time since 1990-91. Sacramento, led by Buddy Hield’s 23 points, led 66-61 at the half but was outscored 32-18 in the third quarter. Jazz 110, Clippers 96: Mike Conley snapped an early-season slump with 29 points and host Utah beat Los Angeles, which had Kawhi Leonard sitting out. Donovan Mitchell scored 24 points for the Jazz. Lou Williams paced the Clippers with 24 points. 76ers 118, Timberwolves 95: Joel Embiid scored 19 points and brawled with Karl-Anthony Towns, sending both players to the showers early as host Philadelphia improved to 4-0. Celtics 116, Bucks 105: Kemba Walker had 21 of his 32 points in the second half as host Boston rallied. Raptors 125, Pistons 113: Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, including 19 in the third quarter, for host Toronto. Trail Blazers 102, Thunder 99: Damian Lillard had 23 points and 13 assists for visiting Portland. Cavaliers 117, Bulls 111: Kevin Love had 17 points and 20 rebounds, Tristan Thompson scored 23 points and host Cleveland beat Chicago. Pacers 118, Nets 108: Domantas Sabonis scored 29 points, Jeremy Lamb added 25 and visiting Indiana got its first victory in four tries. Magic 95, Knicks 82: Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 14 rebounds and host Orlando rallied past New York. Young out: Atlanta guard Trae Young is out Thursday night against Miami with a sprained right ankle.