(Field Level Media) James Harden, Clint Capela and P.J. Tucker recorded double-doubles as the host Houston Rockets breezed by the short-handed Golden State Warriors 129-112 yesterday.
Harden paired a game-high 36 points with 13 assists to lead the charge. He and Russell Westbrook were a combined 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc midway through the second quarter before Harden caught fire and connected on his final four 3-pointers of the first half.
Tucker posted 22 points and 11 rebounds while Capela had 19 points, 16 boards and six blocks. All five Houston starters scored in double figures, with Danuel House tallying 17 points on 5-of-6 3-point shooting while Westbrook chipped in 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors, down three starters (Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, D’Angelo Russell) due to injury, mustered an answer to every Rockets run until Harden led a 21-6 surge to close the first half. Houston led 63-52 at the break and opened the third quarter on a 20-8 burst that extended the cushion to 23-points on a Westbrook dunk, assisted by Harden, at the 6:43 mark of the period.
The Rockets shot 47.7 percent (21 of 45) from behind the arc. Reserve guard Austin Rivers finished 4 of 4 on 3-point attempts for 12 points.
Alec Burks, instrumental in keeping the Warriors within range in the first half, scored 28 points in 31 minutes off the bench. Rookie forward Eric Paschall added 19 points and six rebounds while Glenn Robinson III tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Houston turned a 10-0 run into a 17-11 first-quarter lead, but the Warriors surged ahead 21-20 by converting a Harden turnover into a fastbreak basket by Burks. However. with Rivers shooting 3 of 3 from deep, the Rockets carried a 30-29 lead into the second quarter.
Harden sank his first trey with 4:24 left in the first half and hit his second soon thereafter. Westbrook added his lone 3-pointer of the night for a 58-48 lead, and the Rockets were off and running.
The Warriors clawed within 87-77 in the third quarter, but when Harden fed Capela for an alley-oop dunk with 9:05 remaining in the game, the Houston lead was back up to 107-86.
