ROCKETS BEAT OKC FOR 16TH STRAIGHT

CITY» Chris Paul OKLAHOMA scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-112 on Tuesday night for their 16th straight win.

James Harden had 23 points and 11 assists, and Trevor Ariza added 15 points for the Rockets, who are on the second-longest win streak in franchise history.

Russell Westbrook scored 32 points and Carmelo Anthony added 23 for Oklahoma City, which is in a logjam of teams trying to fight their way into third place in the West.

Oklahoma City had beaten several of the league’s top teams this season. The Thunder have two wins over Golden State, a victory over Toronto and a win over Cleveland this season. The Rockets avoided that fate by going 17 of 33 on 3-pointers and 29 of 34 on free throws.

The Rockets led 54-45 at halftime as Harden posted 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Anthony had 19 points for the Thunder and Westbrook had 14, but All-Star Paul George went 1 for 7 from the field before the break.

Houston extended its lead to 19 midway through the fourth quarter.

TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

Bradley Beal scored 30 points on 12-of-16 shooting and the Wizards had their best 3-point shooting night of the season in a 117-113 victory over the Heat .… Robert Covington scored 22 points, rookie sensation Ben Simmons almost had a triple-double and the 76ers handed the Hornets their fourth straight loss 128-114. Simmons had 16 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds as the 76ers won for the third time in their past four games. … DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 and the Raptors beat the Hawks 106-90 for their fifth straight win.

FOOTNOTES

Kerr offers opinion on players.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said players who leave college early for the NBA draft but go unpicked should be allowed by the NCAA to return to school. “Don’t keep this ruse going,” Kerr said. “We all know what’s going on. Let’s do what’s best for the kid and give them some options, and work together between the NBA and NCAA to find the right system. I think it’s entirely doable if you people just open their eyes.” … The NBA fined Celtics guard Marcus Smart $15,000 for public criticism of officiating after Saturday’s 123-120 loss to the Rockets.