Harden on fire again with 57 points

James Harden scored a season-high 57 points to carry the short-handed Rockets to a 112-94 win over the visiting Grizzlies. The reigning MVP extended his streak of 30-point games to 17 by halftime, scoring 36 points in the first two quarters. It was the franchiserecord 14th time Harden scored 40 or more this season and the eighth time in his last 11 games.

♦ Serena Williams cruised to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Tatjana Maria in just 49 minutes in the first round of the Australian Open in Melbourne.