Nets at Rockets
The Houston Rockets could have been excused for suffering a letdown in the wake of news that center Clint Capela would miss a month or more due to a broken thumb, but superstar James Harden was not having any of that. Harden will look to continue his historic run and lead the shorthanded Rockets to another victory when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
Harden needed one half to make history on Monday, pouring in 36 points in the first 24 minutes to reach 30 for the 17th straight game, and finished with 57 points in a 112-96 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies. "What he just did, we kind of take it for granted a little bit," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "It's like, 'Oh, look at that, isn't that cute? It's 57!' I mean, on dead legs and he played 43 minutes last night. It's beyond impressive. It's rare that people can do what he's done, if anybody." Harden and company will face another challenge in the surging Brooklyn Nets, who are on the verge of a .500 record and are in playoff contention in the East after several down seasons. "We're playing games that mean something," Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters. That's exciting for our development and our confidence. These guys think they can do something special."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)
ABOUT THE NETS (22-23): Brooklyn earned a 109-102 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday, snapping a 10-game losing streak against their division rivals. The win was sparked by another strong performance from point guard D'Angelo Russell, who scored 34 points and is averaging 27 over the last three contests. "There's no fear," Atkinson told reporters of Russell. "He believes in himself. He's got tremendous, tremendous confidence. With guys out, we've given him a little more of a green light. We need him to be aggressive. He and I have talked about it. We need him to keep doing that."
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (25-18): Harden's string of 30-point games is the most since Wilt Chamberlain reached the mark in 20 straight in 1964 and moved him past Kobe Bryant (16 straight in 2003) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (16 in 1972). Houston, which is already without guards Chris Paul (hamstring) and Eric Gordon (knee) learned the extent of Capela's injury on Monday, and Harden was there to give the team a boost. "I don't know if it was an emotional lift," Harden told reporters. "I know that we had to win the game. I know we let one slip away last night, and it was another opportunity for us to win tonight. I don't know if it was an emotional lift, but I know it's crunch time in the sense that we've got three starters out and guys have got to pick up the slack. There's no excuse."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Rockets PG Brandon Knight (knee) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.
2. Nets SF Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) sat out the last seven games but could return Wednesday.
3. Houston took the last five in the series, including a 119-111 win at Brooklyn on Nov. 2.