Harden’s triple-double lifts Rockets past Hornets, 109-93
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— James Harden had 27 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets made 22 of 57 3-point attempts in a 109-93 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.
The Rockets nearly broke their own NBA regular season records of 24 3-pointers made and 61 3-pointers attempted set last December.
Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson led the 3-point barrage. Gordon was 6 of 16 from beyond the arc and had 26 points, while Anderson was 6 of 15 and finished with 21 points.
The Rockets took advantage of the Hornets' cold shooting in the first half and took a 10-point lead at halftime. The Hornets started the second half on an 8-0 run but could never get the lead and the Rockets pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 26 points, and Dwight Howard had another strong game with 19 points and 16 rebounds against his former team. It's the fifth straight game Howard has recorded at least 15 rebounds.
However, Howard's poor free throw shooting—he was 5 of 15—cost the Hornets points and momentum. The Rockets fouled Howard in the fourth quarter, willing to trade three points for one.
At one point in the second quarter Howard made both free throw attempts—banking the second one off the glass—and crowd erupted in a sarcastic cheer.
Magic 114, Spurs 87
ORLANDO, Fla.—Evan Fournier scored an efficient 25 points and Orlando handed San Antonio its first loss.
Fournier made 10 of 12 shots, including all four of his 3-point tries.
It was the third straight win for the Magic, who got 17 points from Jonathon Simmons, 16 from Aaron Gordon and 15 from Nikolai Vucevic. Orlando shot 57.1 percent while limiting the Spurs to 33.7 percent.
San Antonio lost for the first time in five games, and it wasn't close. Orlando led by 14 after the first quarter, 27 points at halftime and by 36 points during the second half.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. Patty Mills added 12 points, and Pau Gasol scored 12 points with 11 rebounds.
The Magic pushed the pace the whole game, and especially in the first half. The quick tempo led to wide-open looks all over the floor. Orlando scored half its points in the paint and hit 6 of 12 3-pointers en route to 61-34 halftime lead.
Nuggets 105, Hawks 100
ATLANTA—Nikola Jokic recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds, Will Barton and Gary Harris each scored 18 points and Denver beat Atlanta.
Emmanuel Mudiay had 16 points for Denver (2-3). It was the Nuggets' first win in Atlanta in six years.
Jokic, the third-year center from Serbia, helped Denver overcome Atlanta's 14 3-pointers.
Paul Millsap, the former four-time All-Star for the Hawks, had 16 points and six rebounds for Denver in his return to Atlanta.
Dennis Schroder, back in the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left ankle, led Atlanta with 20 points. Schroder's steal and layup cut Denver's lead to 101-98 with 1:22 remaining. Jokic answered with a jumper.
The Hawks (1-5) have lost five straight since opening the season with a win at Dallas.
Knicks 107, Nets 86
NEW YORK—Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and nine rebounds, and New York beat Brooklyn for its first victory of the season.
Rookie guard Frank Ntilikina also broke the ice with his first NBA points and finished with nine as the Knicks became the last team in the league to get a win this season.
They did it with a surprisingly strong defensive effort that shut down the NBA's highest-scoring team, holding the Nets about 35 points below their average.
New York blew it open with a 25-6 run in the third quarter that turned a three-point lead into a 72-50 cushion and coasted from there.
D'Angelo Russell returned from a one-game absence with 15 points for the Nets, who looked nothing like the team that beat Eastern Conference champion Cleveland two nights earlier.
They came in averaging 121.2 points and had reached 110 in each of their first five games, but shot just 40.5 percent from the field.