Harden, Rockets slip past Pistons
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- James Harden had 28 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 99-96 victory over the struggling Detroit Pistons on Monday at The Palace.
Clint Capela supplied 15 points and 12 rebounds, Trevor Ariza contributed 14 points, and Sam Dekker added a career-high 12 points for Houston (9-5), which earned its third consecutive win.
The Pistons (6-9) lost their fourth straight.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope paced Detroit with 26 points, but he missed a crucial free throw in the late going that could have tied the game.
Pistons center Andre Drummond had 13 points and 16 rebounds but also missed two late free throws. Marcus Morris scored 13 points, and Joe Leuer added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Ariza gave Houston its first double-digit advantage when he hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 remaining in the third to make it 70-60. Harden went on a personal 7-0 run late in the quarter for a 79-68 Rockets lead. The Pistons responded with seven straight points to end the quarter, including Morris' heave from near midcourt just before the buzzer.
Reggie Bullock's tip-in and Leuer's dunk put Detroit back on top 85-82. Ariza's 3-pointer midway through the quarter gave Houston an 88-87 edge. Morris responded with two jumpers to make it 91-88 Detroit.
Another Ariza 3-pointer put Houston back on top 93-91. Harden's step-back jumper with 1:06 left nudged the lead to 96-93.
Drummond's tip-in cut it to one. The clubs then traded misses before Harden made one of two free throws with 15.4 seconds left. Caldwell-Pope, who was fouled on a layup try, made a free throw but missed the second with nine seconds remaining.
Harden made one of two free throws with 5.9 seconds left and Drummond was fouled on the rebound. Drummond missed both free throws, and Harden was fouled again. Harden made the second foul shot, and Caldwell-Pope's desperation shot from midcourt fell way short.
The Rockets trailed most of the first half but finished it on an 8-0 run to grab a 51-46 halftime lead. The Pistons were scoreless the last 3:54 of the second quarter.
NOTES: Detroit G Reggie Jackson, sidelined all season due to knee tendinitis, was cleared for some contact drills in practice Tuesday, according to coach Stan Van Gundy. The club hopes Jackson can return late this month or early next month. ... The Pistons swept the two-game series with the Rockets last season despite Houston G James Harden averaging 31.0 points.... The Rockets exceeded the 100-point mark their previous seven games before finishing at 99 on MOnday. ... Detroit C Andre Drummond, 23, is the second-youngest player to reach 4,000 career rebounds. Current Atlanta C Dwight Howard was 22 when he reached that milestone with Orlando. ... Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said Harden, who leads the league in assists, needs to handle the ball as much as possible. "James is very efficient," D'Antoni said. "The more times he has the ball in his hands, the better he's going to do."