Rockets 96, Spurs 95
James Harden drained the game-winning 17-footer with 4.5 seconds remaining to cap a 29-point effort as Houston upended visiting San Antonio.
Chandler Parsons scored 20 points and Omer Asik grabbed 14 rebounds and the Rockets survived two Spurs’ misses in the final seconds to pull within a half-game of the sixth-place Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference playoff race.
Tony Parker scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and Tim Duncan added 17 for San Antonio, which had a four-game winning streak snapped. Duncan missed a 16-footer with two seconds left and Manu Ginobili missed a follow-up attempt as the Spurs’ lead over Oklahoma City for the top spot in the West fell to 1 1/2 games.
Houston had an 87-79 lead after a basket by Parsons with 7:26 to play before the Spurs responded with a 14-2 run for a four-point lead with 1:50 to play. The Rockets pulled within one on two free throws by Harden with 1:04 to play before Harden hit the decisive shot.
San Antonio had a 46-43 lead at halftime before Houston controlled most of the third quarter. A 3-pointer by Parsons with seven seconds left in the stanza gave the Rockets a 74-67 advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden added nine rebounds and six assists and made 15-of-17 free-throw attempts. … Parker is averaging 22.5 in two games since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for eight contests. … Houston improved to 5-1 on its seven-game homestand.