Harden's triple-double leads Rockets past Nets
NEW YORK -- James Harden recorded his 12th triple-double of the season with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds as the Houston Rockets snapped their first losing streak of the season with a 137-112 rout of the Brooklyn Nets Sunday night.
Harden accomplished his latest triple-double in 32 minutes by getting three assists in the fourth quarter.
Harden was one of three players to reach 20 points and among six in double figures for the Rockets, who rebounded from losses to Minnesota and Memphis by making a season-high 21 3-pointers.
Eric Gordon hit four 3-pointers and paced Houston with 24 points. Trevor Ariza tied a season best with six 3-pointers and added 23 point.
Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell added 16 points while Ryan Anderson contributed 12 as the Rockets shot 51 percent.
The Nets rested Brook Lopez for the fourth time, and they had little offense to keep up in the second half after scoring 66 points by halftime and lost their 10th straight. It is the second time in the last nine months Brooklyn has dropped 10 in a row, and the Houston points total was two shy of the most points allowed against the Rockets.
Trevor Booker paced the Nets with 18 points while Randy Foye added 13. Joe Harris scored 12 points and Justin Hamilton contributed 11 while starting for Lopez.
The Rockets matched their most productive first half of the season and held a 74-66 lead at halftime despite Harden only scoring nine points. Harden was 1 of 5 in the first quarter when the Rockets held a slim 37-36 lead.
The Rockets ripped off 13 straight points in the opening minutes of the third quarter and eventually pushed their lead to 92-73 on two free throws by Anderson with about 4 1/2 minutes left. The Rockets reached the century mark with 1:42 left on a reverse baseline dunk by Sam Dekker, who had another dunk on Houston's next possession.
Harden had his 35th double-double through three as the Rockets held a 104-90 lead. He was two assists shy of the triple-double entering the fourth after ending the period with a spinning foul line jumper over rookie Caris LeVert right before time expired.
Harden was on the bench when the Rockets finished it off in the opening minutes of the fourth. They opened the quarter with a 9-2 spurt on layups by Dekker, Harrell and Beverley along with a 3-pointer by Gordon.
NOTES: Nets C Brook Lopez (rest) did not play and coach Kenny Atkinson cited recent scheduling for not playing Lopez. Before Sunday, the Nets played six games in nine nights and Lopez played 194 of 288 minutes. He also sat out road games against the Toronto Raptors on Dec. 20, Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 14 and Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 29. ... Houston plays five games in seven nights this week, but coach Mike D'Antoni said he has no intention of resting anyone unless a trainer tells him otherwise. Asked about getting credit for being the first coach to emphasize 3-pointers in a year when many teams are doing so on offense, D'Antoni quipped, "It's always nice to know you're not completely crazy. ... Houston C Clint Capela (fractured left fibula) traveled with the team for the first time since getting hurt on Dec. 17 and will practice Monday. If his practice goes well, he could return from a 15-game absence on Tuesday in Miami.