Harden triple-double fuels Rockets past Cavaliers
HOUSTON -- James Harden recorded his 16th triple-double on the season and the Houston Rockets grabbed a season-high 20 offensive rebounds to claim a tense back-and-fourth affair with the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-112 on Sunday night at Toyota Center.
Harden scored a game-high 38 points and added 10 rebounds and 11 assists as Houston (46-21) split the season series with the Cavaliers (43-22). His 11-point third quarter helped the Rockets erase a nine-point halftime deficit and his steady hand in the final period enabled Houston to pull away down the stretch.
Six Rockets scored in double figures, including Eric Gordon (13 points) and Nene (12) off the bench. Houston committed just six turnovers, hit 16 of 45 3-pointers, and outpaced the Cavaliers 50-40 in the paint.
LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 30 points and added seven rebounds and five assists. Kyrie Irving chipped in 28 points and eight assists while Richard Jefferson tallied 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Jefferson did not score in the second half for Cleveland, which shot 52.5 percent but finished minus-14 on the glass.
The teams began exchanging perimeter haymakers from the opening tip.
Houston slugged first with five consecutive field goals coming from behind the arc in the first quarter, a stretch that turned a one-point deficit into a 30-22 lead. But matchups were integral throughout, and when James returned late in the first, he took advantage of Gordon and keyed an 11-0 run to a 35-33 advantage.
Cleveland returned the favor with its own blistering 3-point shooting in the second quarter, connecting on six successive treys to grab a 12-point lead. Jefferson was responsible for four of those 3s, including two in succession that pushed the Cavaliers to a 57-45 lead.
The Rockets, meanwhile, hit just 2 of 10 from deep in the period and needed a driving layup from Harden to slice the deficit under double digits by the intermission.
NOTES: Cavaliers F Kyle Korver missed a third consecutive game with a sore left foot. Korver has been shut down for at least a week to deal with the injury. ... James, Irving and Jefferson combined for 49 points on 19-for-24 shooting in the first half. ... Rockets F Ryan Anderson scored 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Houston improved to 20-6 when Anderson scored 15-plus points.