Harden returns, Rockets top Spurs
After the Rockets easily downed San Antonio, James Harden was asked about his team taking care of business against a team missing its top players.
The All-Star was quick to point out that despite already clinching a playoff berth, this team has more goals ahead.
“We don’t have the luxury of just taking nights off,” he said. “We’re not where we want to be. We’re not that good yet. So we have to go out there and approach every single game, no matter who we’re playing, like it’s a playoff game. We’re 15 games away, so it’s time to take it serious.”
Harden scored 16 of his 28 points in the third quarter to help the Rockets build a huge lead and sail to a 109-93 victory in Houston on Monday night.
The NBA’s leading scorer took a little while to get going a night after sitting out against Dallas with a sore left knee. He had 12 points at halftime.
Despite his slow start, the Rockets had a comfortable lead in the third and were still up by 13 after a basket by San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray with about eight minutes left in the quarter. Harden then took over the game, scoring the next eight points to start a 16-4 run that extended the lead to 82-57 with about 3½ minutes left in the third and had head coach Gregg Popovich calling for a timeout.
Trail Blazers 115, Heat 99: Host Portland got 32 points from Damian Lillard and 27 from Jusuf Nurkic to win its 10th straight game. Miami, which trailed by 19 points early in the fourth quarter, cut the lead to three with an 18-2 run, capped by Tyler Johnson’s three-pointer, before the Blazers finished with a 22-9 blitz. Goran Dragic scored 23 points for the Heat.
Thunder 106, Kings 101: Russell Westbrook scored 17 points and picked up his 20th triple-double of the season as host Oklahoma City beat Sacramento. Westbrook had 10 rebounds and 11 assists in the 99th triple-double of his career. Paul George and Carmelo Anthony each scored 21 points for the Thunder, who moved into fourth place in the West. Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 points for the Kings.
Bucks scored 121, Grizzlies 24 points, 103: Giannis Khris Middleton Antetokounmpo added 20 and visiting Milwaukee sent Memphis to its 18th consecutive loss. Brandon Jennings, signed to a 10-day contract by the Bucks on Saturday, finished two rebounds short of a triple-double with 16 points and 12 assists. Marc Gasol led the Grizzlies with 17 points.
Briefly: Dallas guard Wesley Matthews has a broken bone in his lower right leg and is likely to miss the rest of the season . ... Boston rookie Daniel Theis is likely out for the rest of the season with a torn meniscus in his left knee . ... Atlanta guard Kent Bazemore will miss the rest of the season with a bone bruise in his right knee.