Harden's double-double carries Rockets past Knicks
NEW YORK -- James Harden recorded his second double-double in as many nights, scoring 30 points with 15 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 118-99 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
Harden scored 41 points to go along with 15 assists in a 128-120 loss at Cleveland on Tuesday.
The All-Star guard connected on 5-of-12 3-pointers as Houston (3-2) shot 39.5 percent (15-of-38) from beyond the arc. Eric Gordon added 21 points and second-year pro Montrezl Harrell matched his career high with 17 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.
The Knicks have given up at least 30 points in eight of their 16 quarters this season. The Rockets scored 33, 35 and 32 points in the first three quarters.
Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks (1-3) with 21 points and Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee added 16 points apiece.
Harden's 3-pointer from the top of the key ended an 8-0 spree to give Houston its biggest lead to that point, 100-78. The Knicks never got closer than 90-76. Harrell contributed seven points in the quarter and Harden had seven assists.
Houston led 68-51 at the half, with Harden's playmaking a big reason. Taking advantage of myriad Houston screens and his own quickness, Harden deposited 18 points and dished out six assists, accounting for nearly half of the Rockets' 68 points.
It marked the second night in a row the Knicks allowed more than 60 points at the break. Detroit scored 64 points en route to a 102-89 win on Tuesday.
Harden was hot early, showing no signs of his injured ankle. He was effective from outside as well as driving to the rim, scoring 15 points to help the Rockets to a 33-25 first-quarter lead. He converted 6-of-7 shots from the line in the quarter.
NOTES: The Rockets rested C Nene and assigned F/C Chinanu Onuaku to the D-League. .... Houston F Trevor Ariza spent parts of two seasons with the Knicks, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds. Since being traded in 2006 he has averaged 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19 games against his former team. ... Houston coach Mike D'Antoni coached the Knicks for parts of four seasons before resigning midway through the 2012 season. ... The Knicks will play 15 back-to-back games this season. ... Houston entered the game fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.472).