|
 Harden poured in a career-high 50 points and corralled 10 rebounds
as the Rockets claimed a 118-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets at
Toyota Center.
Harden shot 12-for-27 from the floor and matched his career high
with 25 free-throw attempts, making 22. Having already surpassed his
personal best of 46 points with his final free throw, Harden took a
feed from forward Trevor Ariza and drilled a corner 3-pointer with
37.5 seconds left for his first 50-point game as Houston closed to
within one game of the first-place Memphis Grizzlies in the
Southwest Division.
"I looked up at the scoreboard and he had 45," Ariza said. "He
scored 47 at the free-throw line so I had to get him the ball for
50. I've seen someone score 61 before (Lakers guard Kobe Bryant on
Feb. 2, 2009 against the New York Knicks while Ariza played for Los
Angeles)."
Said Harden: "My teammates are amazing. Trevor noticed what was
going on in the game. He dribbled right at me and I said I'm going
to let it fly."
Ariza added 17 points and six rebounds while reserve forward Josh
Smith chipped in 12 points off the bench. Houston guard Patrick
Beverley paired 10 points with seven assists. The Rockets (46-22)
hit 12 of 30 3-pointers, their 49th game with at least 10 3-pointers
made.
Forward Wilson Chandler and guard Randy Foye paced six Nuggets,
including all five starters, in double figures with 23 points
apiece. Center Kenneth Faried (19 points, 12 rebounds) and guard Ty
Lawson (12 points, 10 assists) recorded double-doubles for the
Nuggets (26-43).
Even with the first-quarter loss of forward Terrence Jones to a rib
injury, the Rockets had the scoring necessary to secure a 65-49
halftime lead. Harden was efficient early, scoring 22 by the break
on just 13 shot attempts. Harden connected on nine of 11 free throws
by intermission.
But Denver proved feisty throughout, with Chandler keeping the
Nuggets close with 15 first-half points before Foye took over in the
third with 13 points as Denver labored to slice the deficit to
single digits.
"We did a lot better on that (attacking the Rockets offensively) in
the second half," Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt said. "We got a
couple of back doors and guys got to the rim. We just have to do a
better job of jumping into the game and staying with the game."
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Harden had an answer, however, capping the period with a 3-pointer,
a driving layup and four free throws that rebuilt the lead to 90-73.
The Nuggets again whittled the deficit to single digits, 99-91 with
5:06 left, yet the Rockets found a means to suppress the budding
rally once more, with Harden tallying 12 points in the final period
to keep Denver at bay.
"He got to the free-throw line a lot," Foye said. "He made a lot of
free throws and he did a good job. Obviously he's probably the MVP
this year in the NBA. He did an unbelievable job of creating and
also getting to the free-throw line."
NOTES: Rockets F Terrence Jones was taken to an area hospital for
precautionary reasons after suffering a rib injury in the first
quarter. ... Nuggets interim coach Melvin Hunt stuck with his
small-ball starting lineup featuring F Kenneth Faried at center
primarily to benefit floor spacing. That quintet, featuring Danilo
Gallinari and Wilson Chandler at forward and Ty Lawson plus Randy
Foye at guard, fell to 4-4. ... With Rockets G Jason Terry again
sidelined by a sore left hamstring, G Pablo Prigioni gained another
opportunity to work out of his shooting slump. He hit one of two
shots Thursday and scored three points. In limited minutes with
Houston, Prigioni is shooting 21.1 percent from the field
(4-for-19), including 3-for-18 on 3-pointers. ... At halftime, the
Rockets honored several members of their 1995 NBA championship team.
Houston claimed its second consecutive title that season.
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