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 This was James Harden's game to win.
"Tie game. On the road," Harden said with a smile. "You live for
those moments."
The guard made it a moment to remember, hitting the game-winning
jumper over from 20 feet at the buzzer to give the Rockets a 113-111
win over the Suns on Friday.
Forward Donatas Motiejunas added 15 for the Rockets, who led by 16
points with 6:11 to play before the Suns put on a furious rally,
tying the game on at 111 on three-point play by forward Markieff
Morris with 16.6 seconds left.
Harden had 10 assists in the game, but he was finished with passing.
He held the ball out by midcourt until a few seconds remained before
backing down Phoenix defender P.J. Tucker and hitting the
game-winning shot.
"We had a pretty solid lead but we knew they were going to make a
run and they did it at the perfect time," Harden said. "It comes
down to one shot, either you make it or you miss it and you go to
overtime, and I made it."
The Rockets won without center Dwight Howard, who sprained his right
ankle coming down on Markieff Morris' ankle in the first period.
 Sitting in the dressing room with his right ankle in a walking boot,
Howard took over the commentary while he watched the final seconds
tick down on television.
"Once James got the ball, I said, 'This is it, he's gonna hit the
dagger right here and he did it," Howard said. "I'm proud of the
young fella."
The Rockets improved to 30-14 -- only the fourth time they have
reached 30 wins in 44 games in franchise history. It's their best
start since going 32-12 in 1996-97. Houston has now beaten the Suns
four straight times, including twice this season.
Guard Eric Bledsoe had 25 points, nine assists and eight rebounds
and guard Isaiah Thomas added 22 for the Suns, who had won four in a
row overall and seven in a row at US Airways Center. The Suns have
lost three games at the buzzer this season, with Harden joining
Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks (Dec. 15) and Blake Griffin
of the Los Angeles Clippers (Dec. 8) as the culprits.
"We made a great comeback but in never should have gotten that
point," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "If we would have come
hard from the start of the game, doing the things that we're
supposed to do, we would've jumped in the lead and put a lot of
pressure on them. Instead, we let them have the lead most of the
game.
Down 102-86 with 6:11 left, the Suns rallied with a 9-0 run over a
1:43 span and pulled to within 104-100 on forward Marcus Morris'
3-pointer with 2:27 left. Harden kept scoring but the Suns kept
answering, finally getting even on Markieff Morris' driving layup
and foul by Joey Dorsey. Harden, a former Arizona State star, had
one more shot left.
"We didn't want to let Harden beat us," Hornacek said. "When sent
Isaiah (to double team) with five (seconds left), but he made a good
play. Isaiah flew by him at that point and we couldn't get the ball
out of his hands. Great players make great plays."
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The game was almost a reversal of Wednesday night, when the Portland
Trail Blazers rallied from 25 points down against Phoenix before the
Suns rallied to win.
"That's what happens when you play a game like that," Thomas said.
"Portland fought so hard to come back and then we finished them off.
It's tough when you're down and you fight so hard and you feel like
you should have one and then things like that happen."
After Howard limped off the court, the Rockets scored nine straight
points and opened a 30-18 lead, with a Harden 3-pointer followed by
a floating jumper by guard Corey Brewer with 1:22 left.
Harden had 13 of his 18 first-half points in the second period and
seven points in the final 2:33 of the half, including a dunk with
26.9 seconds left to give Houston a 60-52 lead.
The Rockets expanded the lead to 87-77 after three quarters thanks
to eight points from forward Josh Smith. Then came the 16-point
lead, the furious Phoenix comeback and Harden's final word.
"It's James Harden doing his thing," Houston guard Patrick Beverly
said. "I've been playing with him for three years now ... nothing
surprises me now. In my eyes, he's the best player in the league
right now. He's our leader and coming down to the clutch, that's the
person you want with the ball."
NOTES: The Rockets 24-2 when leading at halftime this season. ...
Suns F P.J. Tucker held Rockets G James Harden to 5-for-21 shooting
and 15 points -- 12 under his 27.2 average -- in the first meeting
this season, won by Houston 100-95. "P.J. is a tough a smart
defender," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "He tries not to let
guys get to their strengths and for James, that's obviously letting
him drive. You're not going to stop a star player, but if you can
hold them under their average, it's all you can ask." ... The Suns
came into the game with four straight 50-percent-or-better shooting
games, their longest streak since Feb. 23-28, 2010. That streak
ended Friday, when the Suns shot 46.2 percent from the field. Over
the last two seasons, the Suns are 35-1 when shooting at least 50
percent from the field. ... The Rockets are on pace to make 971
3-point field goals this year, which would shatter the record of 891
set by the New York Knicks in 2012-13.
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