LDN - Sports

Harden, Rockets slip past Pistons

[November 22, 2016] AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- James Harden missed so many free throws in the closing minutes on Monday that he found it humorous.

The Houston Rockets superstar clanged five foul shots in the final 2:15, but it ultimately didn't prove costly as his team walked away with a 99-96 victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons at The Palace.

"I had to laugh it off," said Harden, a career 85.4 percent free throw shooter. "It's funny. We all have games like this."

It doesn't happen very often with Harden, who still wound up with a game-high 28 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.

"He's surprised more than I am," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's not normal. He had 28, 11 and eight and he's in there thinking he played bad. His bar is up pretty high. He put it way up there."

Fortunately for the Rockets, the Pistons missed three free throws in the final nine seconds while losing their fourth straight. Houston gave away an 11-point lead in the second half.

"We did not play well all night," D'Antoni said. "I didn't think we were sharp but defensively, we found a way to win."

"We have a long way to go and we're figuring things out," Houston forward Ryan Anderson added. "It was a game that could have swung their way, but we held through it and got some big stops and make some big shots."

Clint Capela supplied 15 points and 12 rebounds, Trevor Ariza contributed 14 points, and Sam Dekker added a career-high 12 points for Houston (9-5), which posted its third consecutive win.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced Detroit with 26 points but missed a crucial free throw in the late going that could have tied the score.

Pistons center Andre Drummond had 13 points and 16 rebounds but also missed two late free throws. Marcus Morris scored 13 points, and Joe Leuer added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Detroit was outrebounded 46-39 and outscored in the paint 46-32.

"I thought defensively we were OK," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "We didn't rebound, we couldn't convert in the paint, and we didn't defend in the second quarter."

Harden went on a personal 7-0 run late in the quarter for a 79-68 Rockets lead. The Pistons responded with seven straight points to end the quarter, including Morris' heave from near midcourt just before the buzzer.

Reggie Bullock's tip-in and Leuer's dunk put Detroit back on top 85-82. Ariza's 3-pointer midway through the quarter gave Houston an 88-87 edge. Morris responded with two jumpers to make it 91-88 Detroit.

Another Ariza 3-pointer put Houston back on top 93-91. Harden's step-back jumper after he secured an offensive rebound with 1:06 left nudged the lead to 96-93.

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Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) is defended by Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Pistons lost Boston on Saturday on a late putback by Al Horford.

"It's tough, especially just coming off a two-point game," Morris said. "Same thing happened at the end of both games with offensive rebounds, so we've got to find a way to play harder or just get rebounds."

Drummond's tip-in cut it to one. The clubs then traded misses before Harden made one of two free throws with 15.4 seconds left. Caldwell-Pope, who was fouled on a layup try, made a free throw but missed the second with nine seconds remaining.

Harden made one of two free throws with 5.9 seconds left and Drummond was fouled on the rebound by Capela, who was instructed to foul the league's worst free throw shooter.

On cue, Drummond missed both free throws, and Harden was fouled again.

"We said if Drummond ever touches the ball, foul him," D'Antoni said. "So he did a good job."

Harden made the second foul shot, and Caldwell-Pope's desperation shot from midcourt fell way short.

NOTES: Detroit G Reggie Jackson, sidelined all season because of knee tendinitis, was cleared for some contact drills in practice Tuesday, according to coach Stan Van Gundy. The club hopes Jackson can return late this month or early next month. ... The Pistons swept the two-game series with the Rockets last season despite Houston G James Harden averaging 31.0 points. ... The Rockets exceeded 100 points in their previous seven games before finishing at 99 on Monday. ... Detroit C Andre Drummond, 23, is the second-youngest player to reach 4,000 career rebounds. Current Atlanta C Dwight Howard was 22 when he reached that milestone with Orlando. ... Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said Harden, who leads the league in assists, needs to handle the ball as much as possible. "James is very efficient," D'Antoni said. "The more times he has the ball in his hands, the better he's going to do."

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