Gordon, Harden help Rockets win fifth straight
HOUSTON -- Eric Gordon scored 31 points off the bench and James Harden recorded his third consecutive triple-double as the Houston Rockets erased a 15-point deficit in their 101-91 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
After combining for 22 points in the turnaround third quarter, Gordon and Harden totaled 17 points in the fourth. Gordon shot 11 for 18 in 36 minutes while Harden overcame a poor shooting night to post 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Houston (27-9) stretched its winning streak to five games.
Bradley Beal paced the Wizards (16-17) with 27 points while his backcourt mate John Wall added 18 points and 12 assists.
Houston took its first lead with 2:45 remaining in the third quarter, part of a gradual 24-8 close to the period. Nene converted a pick-and-roll dunk for that lead and added a short jumper and another pick-and-roll basket, this one a layup, to push the lead to 71-66. Houston outscored Washington 37-17 in the third quarter, suddenly burying 7 of 10 3-pointers as part of the surge into the lead.
Gordon scored 12 points in the third. He was similarly effective down the stretch in the fourth.
The Wizards took advantage of the Rockets' atypical cold shooting, particularly Wall and Beal, whose inside-outside effectiveness helped Washington grab a 27-12 lead on a Wall layup at the 1:45 mark.
Wall converted three shots at the rim in the first quarter while Beal sank a pair of 3-pointers. Combined they scored 15 points and outscored the Rockets, who trailed 29-14 entering the second quarter.
What saved Houston was the Wizards' ineffective perimeter shooting. The Rockets missed all eight of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter and closed the half 2 for 17 from behind the arc. The Wizards weren't much better (2 for 13) and they failed to fully capitalize on eight first-half turnovers from Houston, parlaying that total into just six points and only seven fast-break points by the intermission.
Despite their woeful shooting the Rockets trailed just 53-41 at the break. When they warmed up, momentum swung.
NOTES: Rockets G Patrick Beverley missed his second straight game with a right wrist sprain, an injury presumably sustained against the Los Angeles Clippers last Friday night. He missed the first 11 games of the season after preseason knee surgery, with Houston going 6-5 during that stretch. ... Wizards G Bradley Beal returned to the starting lineup after missing one game with a right ankle sprain suffered Dec. 28 against the Indiana Pacers. ... Rockets G James Harden was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season after averaging 37.3 points, 12.5 assists and 9.8 rebounds during Houston's 4-0 week. He scored a career-high 53 points and had 17 assists and 16 rebounds against the New York Knicks on New Year's Eve. ... G John Wall was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after leading Washington to a 3-0 record. He averaged 24.3 points, 13 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.67 steals.