James Harden and Rockets Keep Rolling With Win Over Thunder

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James Harden scored 41 points, the most by a player on Christmas since Kevin Durant had 44 in 2010, to lead the Rockets past the Thunder.CreditCreditBob Levey/Getty Images

By The Associated Press

Dec. 25, 2018

HOUSTON — James Harden is on a roll, and it’s helping the Houston Rockets get on track after their terrible start.

Harden scored 41 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 113-109, on Tuesday for their seventh win in the last eight games.

He has scored 30 points or more in a career-high seven games in a row, the first time an N.B.A. player has done that since Russell Westbrook had eight consecutive 30-point games in November 2016. He has scored at least 35 in his last five, the longest such streak since Carmelo Anthony did it in six games in April 2013.

The Rockets won just one of their first six games this season and were 11-14 after a three-game skid in early December. Since then, powered by Harden’s dominance, Houston has lost just once to improve to 18-15 and move a season-high three games above .500.

“We’ve had that confidence all year,” Harden said. “Our record isn’t where we want it to be, but it’s getting there. And we’ve got to continue to work hard every day, continue to get better and grow. We’re preparing for a postseason. We’re not going to be at our tip top right now.”

Harden became the first player to score 40 or more points on Christmas since Kevin Durant had 44 for the Thunder in 2010. Harden’s latest big game came as the Rockets played without Chris Paul, a nine-time All-Star who missed his second straight game with a strained left hamstring. He is out for at least the next two weeks.

A 3-pointer by Paul George with less than two minutes left got Oklahoma City to 4 points behind before Harden missed a 3-pointer. Westbrook missed a shot for the Thunder, but George stole the ball from Harden, who fouled him.

George made both free throws to make it a 2-point game with 43.6 seconds left. Harden then drove past George and into the lane for a layup to make it 112-108 with 20.4 seconds left.

Westbrook made one of two free throws to cut it to 3 with 15 seconds left, but Austin Rivers, in his Rockets debut, made a free throw with 7.4 seconds left to secure the win.

George had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder, and Westbrook added 21 points with nine rebounds and nine assists. Clint Capela had 16 points for the Rockets and tied a season high with 23 rebounds.

Houston led by 6 with about four minutes left when Rivers, whom they signed on Monday, hit a 3-pointer to make it 107-98.

Jerami Grant scored five straight points for the Thunder, highlighted by a 3-pointer, to get Oklahoma City to 107-103, but Rivers made another 3 to push the lead to 7 with two minutes left.

“Everybody here has welcomed me so it has been a very easy transition,” Rivers said. “So my whole focus has just been to play hard and just try to help them in any way I can.”

Houston had a 1-point lead in the fourth when Harden re-entered the game and found Capela on consecutive possessions for dunks to make it 100-95. Eric Gordon had a layup seconds later to push the lead to 7.

Harden continued the run after the timeout with a driving jump shot before the Thunder scored their first basket in more than three minutes on a layup by Grant to cut the lead to 104-97.

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