Rockets 113, Kings 109 (OT)
James Harden hit the tying 3-pointer in regulation and scored 12 of his season-high 44 points in overtime as visiting Houston outlasted Sacramento.
Patrick Beverley collected 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Rockets bounced back from a loss at Golden State on Wednesday. Trevor Ariza scored 15 points and Donatas Motiejunas contributed 14 for Houston, which has won five of six.
Darren Collison scored 24 points and Ben McLemore added 21 as the Kings dropped below .500 at 11-12. Derrick Williams scored 17 points off the bench and Jason Thompson collected 13 and a season-high 15 rebounds for Sacramento.
The Kings led 87-81 with 5:22 left, but the Rockets battled back to knot it a 95 on Harden’s 3-pointer with 20.5 seconds remaining, and Rudy Gay’s potential go-ahead jumper rattled out. Harden scored Houston’s first 10 points of the extra period, and Beverley’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds left made it a nine-point cushion before Sacramento’s late charge fell short.
The Rockets shot 31.1 percent from the floor in the first half and went into the break trailing 46-36. The Kings pushed the lead back out to 12 points before settling for a 69-61 lead going into the fourth, but Ariza’s 3-pointer with 7:18 to play knotted it at 77 and Houston took its first lead of the game when Troy Daniels connected from beyond the arc 32 seconds later.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Rockets’ 36 points marked a season low for a first half. … Houston went 6-of-28 from 3-point range in the first three quarters but improved to 9-of-16 in the fourth quarter and overtime. … The Kings have squandered double-digit leads in five losses this season.