|
 The 38-year-old veteran proved his mettle down the stretch once
again with a couple of dagger shots to lift the Houston Rockets.
James Harden scored 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and
eight assists, Dwight Howard added 21 points and 18 rebounds and the
Rockets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-104 Wednesday at the
Wells Fargo Center.
Patrick Beverley scored 16 points and Trevor Ariza contributed 15
for the Rockets, who won their second straight game and evened their
record at 32-32. K.J. McDaniels had 12 points and Terry added 10
points for Houston.
Terry scored seven straight points -- a 3-pointer and a four-point
play for a 112-103 advantage with 2:14 remaining. Those were two
gigantic shots when the Rockets needed them the most.
"Jason Terry did what he does. He hits huge shots," Rockets interim
coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Leave him open in the corner, guys did
a good job of finding him. He hit two threes and an And-1 to get the
four-point play. He's clutch. He's been that way for a long, long
time."
Ish Smith led the reeling 76ers with 21 points, while Nerlens Noel
and Robert Covington scored 17 apiece. Isaiah Canaan contributed 14,
Jerami Grant had 13 and Hollis Thompson 10.
"We're resilient and we've been like this all year," Smith said. "We
have to keep continuing to fight, continuing to push. We have to
learn how to close out close games."
The 76ers fell to 8-56 following their 13th consecutive loss.
While the 76ers committed 18 turnovers, they did enough good enough
things to remain close. This scenario has played out far too many
times this season.
"It's deflating," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "All those suttle,
tiny things add up."
Harden didn't shoot particularly well (8-for-26), but he knocked
down all 13 of his free throws.
Philadelphia closed the lead to 101-98 before the Rockets went on
one last spurt to seal the road win.
The feisty 76ers refused to wilt after falling behind 95-79, going
on a 13-0 run to get within three. Smith's crossover on Harden
resulted in a step-back jumper and 95-92 deficit.
However, the Rockets came right back with a three-point play from
Howard and a 3-pointer from Ariza to bump the margin to 101-92 with
7:25 left.
Harden and Terry made enough plays in the waning minutes to help
register another win.
"We've just got to continue to do the things that we're doing that's
making us successful," Harden said. "Defensively, we're really
keying in and shutting down. And offensively, we're sharing the
basketball, moving around and guys are just playing well."
After the 76ers climbed within 78-72 in the third quarter, the
Rockets ripped off a quick 9-0 run to go back ahead 87-72.
Houston closed the third quarter in strong fashion as Michael
Beasley threw down a one-hand dunk with 1.8 seconds remaining for a
93-79 advantage.
[to top of second column] |
The Rockets trailed 27-21 after the first quarter before shifting
into another gear on both ends of the court.
Beverley scored 16 first-half points, two shy of his season high,
and Harden added 14.
Houston surged ahead with strong defensive pressure and the ability
to break down the 76ers defense.
Late in the second quarter, Harden dribbled down the court and
tossed a dazzling no-look pass to McDaniels for an alley-oop dunk,
putting the Rockets ahead 53-45.
Harden scored eight points in a four-minute span and the Rockets
bolted to a 61-52 advantage at halftime.
McDaniels gave the Rockets a major spark off the bench with 10
points. It was a surprise considering that he had scored 30 points
all season while sitting out 26 games due to the coach's decision.
"It brought back flashbacks," McDaniels said of facing his former
team. "This is where it all started. I'm just happy Coach gave me
the opportunity to go out and play and to do it where it all started
at is a good feeling."
The Rockets gave McDaniels some playing time and it paid off.
"We were just looking at it and the way they match up because
they're so small, we didn't want to kill our smalls we play in that
rotation," Bickerstaff said. "K.J.'s worked his behind off. He put
himself in the position where if you need him, he's prepared to
play. He asks the right questions. He works hard every day. We've
found something we think we're comfortable with our small lineups
and he does big man things."
Grant kept the 76ers within striking distance with a strong first
half consisting of 13 points in 18 minutes.
NOTES: 76ers C Jahlil Okafor missed his fifth consecutive game with
a sore right shin. Okafor had a CT scan on Tuesday and his immediate
future is unclear. Coach Brett Brown said, "We'll know more tonight
or tomorrow." ... Newly signed 76ers G/F Sonny Weems was active and
available to play. ... Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is
still searching for consistency. He took over when Kevin McHale was
fired just 11 games into the season. "Change in the middle of a
season is tough," Bickerstaff said. "We're trying to get to know
each other when the results matter." ... Houston F Terrence Jones
was inactive. ... The Rockets signed free agent G Andrew Goudelock.
He was the No. 46 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011
draft.
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