James Harden produced his seventh career 50-point, 10-assist game to spur the Houston Rockets to a 121-118 comeback victory over the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday.
Harden finished with 58 points and 10 assists to key the rally but received help down the stretch from Austin Rivers (17 points on 7-of-8 shooting) and Chris Paul, whose pull-up jumper with 46.2 seconds left followed an errant Harden 3-pointer and extended the lead to three.
Miami grabbed a 113-103 lead on a Goran Dragic 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining, but the Rockets responded with a 14-0 run to jump in front. Harden produced a three-point play and two driving layups during that stretch, but Paul secured the lead with two free throws at the 3:27 mark.
The Heat shot 51.9 percent overall but went cold at the wrong time, posting only 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting in the final period. Seven players scored in double figures for Miami, with Dragic and Kelly Olynyk scoring 21 points apiece while Houston native Justise Winslow added 19 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
Magic 103, Warriors 96
Aaron Gordon had 22 points and 15 rebounds as Orlando moved into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a win over visiting Golden State.
Terrence Ross added 16 points off the bench, and Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic. Orlando, which has won seven of its past nine games, tied the Charlotte Hornets for the last playoff position in the East.
Stephen Curry had 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Golden State. DeMarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson each scored 21. Kevin Durant took the night off, missing a game for the first time this season. The Warriors have lost back-to-back games for the first time since December and have lost four of their past six.
76ers 108, Thunder 104
Tobias Harris scored 32 points, and Ben Simmons had a triple-double as visiting Philadelphia topped Oklahoma City.
The 76ers’ win broke the Thunder’s 19-game winning streak in the series, snapping the longest active streak in the NBA. Simmons had 11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season.
Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his 25th triple-double of the season. However, he shot just 8 of 24 from the floor.
Pacers 122, Timberwolves 115
Bojan Bogdanovic gave Indiana the lead for good on a layup with 3:57 remaining, and the Pacers used a strong defensive finish to hold off Minnesota at Indianapolis.
Bogdanovic finished with a season-high 37 points, helping the Pacers overcome a season-best 42-point explosion by Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns for a ninth win in their past 12 games.
Indiana outscored Minnesota 16-8 after the Timberwolves had taken a 107-106 lead with 5:58 to go.
Cavaliers 125, Knicks 118
Jordan Clarkson hit the go-ahead free throws with 89 seconds left as visiting Cleveland rallied down the stretch to top New York.
Cleveland swept the season series and recorded its 10th straight win in New York by outscoring the Knicks 21-5 in the last 3:51.
The Cavaliers’ Kevin Love led all scorers with 26 points and hit six free throws in the final 25 seconds as Cleveland outscored New York 40-21 in the fourth. Allonzo Trier scored 22 points, but the Knicks missed their last 11 shots and were unable to match a season high with a third straight win.
Jazz 111, Nuggets 104
Donovan Mitchell scored six of his 24 points late in the fourth quarter, Kyle Korver hit six 3-pointers and finished with 22 points, and Utah won at Denver.
Derrick Favors finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Joe Ingles had 15 points and 10 assists for the Jazz, who ended Denver’s nine-game home winning streak. Rudy Gobert contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, including a key one in the final minute when the Nuggets were rallying.
Will Barton had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Jamal Murray also scored 21, and Nikola Jokic finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nuggets. Denver had won 20 of 21 at home before Thursday.
—Field Level Media
