Rockets 112, Raptors 109
HOUSTON -- James Harden posted his third triple-double of the season and the Houston Rockets turned a fourth-quarter run into a 112-109 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night at Toyota Center.
Harden finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, his sixth game with at least 10 assists in his last 11 starts.
Harden gave Houston (36-37) a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter with a step-back jumper at the buzzer and then helped engineer a 13-2 run that lifted the Rockets to a 92-80 lead.
Houston ended a three-game losing streak.
All five starters scored in double figures for the Raptors (48-23), who nonetheless shot 41.5 percent from the floor while suffering a season series sweep. DeMar DeRozan scored 18 points before drawing two technical fouls and an ejection with 2:55 to play.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 18 rebounds, Luis Scola added 16 points and Norman Powell scored 13 points for Toronto. Kyle Lowry had 15 points and eight assists before being ejected with 25.6 seconds left.
Patrick Beverley scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half for the Rockets. Michael Beasley added 21 points and five boards off the bench.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey expressed concern about the Rockets' ability to score in transition and right out of the gate Houston attacked Toronto with pace.
Less than three minutes into the game, the Rockets led 11-3. By the close of the first quarter, Houston was rolling behind Beasley, who scored 10 points in seven minutes.
The Rockets built the lead to a dozen points in the second quarter before the well went dry. Trailing 44-33, the Raptors reeled off a 15-0 blitz, hitting 5 of 6 shots from the field during that stretch, including two treys from Scola.
The Rockets, meanwhile, stumbled in large part because of turnovers. Houston had eight in the second quarter and three during the Raptors' run to go along with 0-of-7 shooting from the floor during that stretch.
Toronto seized a 48-44 lead with its rally and kept picking apart the Houston defense through the remainder of the first half.
The Rockets didn't work its way back into a tie until Harden converted a floater with 7:51 left in the third quarter that squared the score at 66.
NOTES: Raptors F/G Terrence Ross was inactive with a left thumb injury and sat out for the first time since being sidelined for six games in mid-November. Raptors G Kyle Lowry (right elbow) and F Patrick Patterson (left ankle) were hobbled yet played. ... Rockets G James Harden and Raptors G DeMar DeRozan rank 1-2 in the NBA in free throws made. It's easy to speculate that DeRozan picked up a trick or two training with Harden during the summer. Harden and DeRozan are both 26, with Harden from Los Angeles and DeRozan from Compton, Calif. ... With C Jonas Valanciunas having returned Wednesday from a four-game injury hiatus (hand), expect the Raptors to cleave to their methodical tempo even more. Toronto entered the game ranked 29th in pace at 92.9 possessions per 48 minutes.