Westbrook, Harden rally Rockets over NBA-best Bucks

MIAMI – Russell Westbrook scored 31 points and James Harden added 24 Sunday (Monday, Manila time) to rally the Houston Rockets over NBA overall leader Milwaukee 120-116 despite a big night for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks led 112-104 after Khris Middleton's 3-pointer with 3:14 to play, but Houston closed the game with a 16-4 run.

"It's amazing," Westbrook said. "We fought through. Adversity showed up and we showed off. All the guys in our locker room showed up to play for 48 minutes."


The Rockets went 21-of-61 from three-point range, matching an NBA record for the most three-point attempts by a club in a non-overtime game, with Danuel House hitting four and Harden among five other players who landed three from outside the arc.

"You have to make the right reads and trust your teammates and that's what I tried to do all night long," said Westbrook.

The Rockets also rallied from seven points down in the final minute to defeat Dallas on Friday.

Westbrook, on a career-best run of 36 consecutive games with 20 or more points, hit 10-of-21 from the floor, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 10-of-12 free throws. Harden had six steals, seven rebounds and seven assists.

Greek big man Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 36 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Middleton had 27 points and 12 rebounds and Brook Lopez added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

"We've got to keep executing at the end of close games," Antetokounmpo said. "We weren't able to do that. We've got to find the open man and hit more shots."

Tatum leads Celtics
The Rockets improved to 42-24, level with Utah for fourth in the Western Conference and only one game behind Denver, while the Bucks fell to 54-13, still the best record in the NBA and six games better than Toronto to top the Eastern Conference.

In the other feature interconference game, Jayson Tatum scored 34 points and Jaylen Brown added 30 to spark the Boston Celtics over Portland 128-124.

Gordon Hayward added 22 points for the Celtics, including two crucial free throws with three seconds to play to help seal a Boston win after squandering a 24-point advantage.

Boston opened the game by making 9-of-12 shots, five of them for three points, for a 26-15 lead and stretched their advantage from there before the Trail Blazers rallied.

Portland's Damian Lillard had 30 points and 16 assists while Jusuf Nurkic added 30 points and nine rebounds for the Trail Blazers.

DeRozan seals it for Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs, powered by 21 points and 10 rebounds from Dejounte Murray, edged eighth-place Memphis in a Western Conference game.

DeMar DeRozan completed a 108-106 win by sinking two free throws with one second remaining, the last of his 14 points. Grizzlies rookie star Ja Morant had 25 points and nine assists in a losing cause.

The Memphis loss ensured a playoff spot for the Dallas Mavericks even before they took the court for a 117-115 loss to the Phoenix Suns. It will be the first Dallas post-season appearance since 2016.

Phoenix's Devin Booker scored 30 points and Ricky Rubio added 20, both hitting key free throws in the final minutes to preserve the Suns' lead.

Luka Doncic led Dallas with 40 points while Kristaps Porzingis added 30 for the Mavericks.

Caris LeVert scored 34 points, 14 of them in the last seven minutes, to spark the Brooklyn Nets over Washington 118-110.

Jarrett Allen had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Joe Harris scored a season-high 27 points for Brooklyn, which moved seven games ahead of the ninth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards must be within four games of eighth to force a play-in series and they have only six games remaining.

Orlando stayed half a game ahead of Brooklyn by routing Sacramento 132-116 behind 25 points from Terrence Ross plus 23 points and 11 rebounds from Nikola Vucevic.

The Magic's victory joy was dampened by a third-quarter left leg injury to Jonathan Isaac, who had just worked his way back from a left knee injury. He exited the court in a wheelchair.

Agence France-Presse

NBA rejects Rockets protest after blown Harden dunk call

LOS ANGELES – The NBA has rejected the Houston Rockets' request for a replay following the blown call of a James Harden dunk in the team's 135-133 overtime defeat to the San Antonio Spurs last week.

The Rockets had lodged a protest after the officiating crew in the game mistakenly ruled out Harden's fourth quarter dunk.

Although officials later acknowledged the mistake, the error turned out to be pivotal, ultimately leading to double overtime where the Spurs would snatch victory.

The Rockets had requested the league allow them to replay the final seven minutes and 50 seconds of the fourth quarter, just before the officiating error.

In a ruling on the Rockets protest however, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the referees misapplied the rules by failing to grant a coach's challenge for the incident.

However in a statement issued Monday, Silver said that the Rockets had "sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods."

"Thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted," the statement read.

The league added that the three referees from the game had been disciplined for misapplying the coach's challenge rules. Details of the sanctions against the referees were not immediately available.

source: philstar.com

Harden, Westbrook shine as Rockets extend win streak

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 36 points and Russell Westbrook bagged a triple-double as the Houston Rockets extended their red-hot winning streak to eight games with a 132-108 rout of the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time).

Harden, fresh from a 49-point display in Saturday's win over Minnesota, was once again in commanding form against a Portland team who were always second best at Houston's Toyota Center.

The 2017-2018 NBA Most Valuable Player also had six rebounds and five assists as the Blazers struggled to contain the Rockets' multi-pronged offense.


Westbrook tormented the Portland defense, finishing with 28 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on a night when all five Houston starters finished in double figures.

The win saw the Rockets improve to 11-3 at the top of the Western Conference, neck-and-neck with the pace-setting Los Angeles Lakers (11-2).


C.J. McCollum led the scoring for Portland with 25 points, but team-mate Damian Lillard was kept quiet with only 13 points. Portland fell to 5-9 with the defeat.

Elsewhere Monday, Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a 33-point haul as the Milwaukee Bucks outgunned the Chicago Bulls 115-101.

Antetokounmpo's points tally was matched by impressive defensive numbers, with the Greek star pulling down 10 rebounds, forcing eight turnovers and making three steals.

Brook Lopez had 19 points while Donte DiVincenzo added 15 for the Bucks, who improved to 10-3 in the Eastern Conference standings.

In Toronto, O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam sparked the Raptors in a 132-96 demolition of the Charlotte Hornets.

Anunoby had 24 points and Siakam 20 as seven Toronto players finished in double figures against an outclassed Charlotte team.

source: philstar.com

NBA commissioner: Not league's job to weigh in on countries' political systems, values

MANILA, Philippines — The National Basketball Association will not police the stances of its players, employees, and team owners, commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding it is not the league's job to adjudicate on issues.

Silver issued the statement amid backlash over a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morley indicating support for protests in Hong Kong that started as opposition to a since-shelved bill that would allow extradition to China.

Rockets superstar James Harden apologized on behalf of his general manager on Monday. “We love China. We love playing there. I know for both of us individually we go there once or twice a year," he bared.

"They show us the most support and love. So we appreciate them as a fan base and we love everything they’re about and we appreciate the support that they give us individually and as an organization.”

The NBA initially acknowledged that Morley's tweet, since deletedm 'deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable'. The statement itself also generated backlash for seeming to try to appease China, a huge market for the league.


"I recognize our initial statement left people angered, confused or unclear on who we are or what the NBA stands for. Let me be more clear," Silver said Tuesday.

He was careful to add the caveat that the NBA would not want to police its own personnel when it came to their views, saying, "the NBA will not put itself in a position of regulating what players, employees and team owners say or will not say on these issues. We simply could not operate that way."

Former Chinese star Yao Ming – a Basketball Hall of Famer – spent his NBA career with Houston.


Long relationship with China

The relationship between the NBA and China among other things consists of media rights, streaming, merchandise sales to the tune of a billion-dollar enterprise. 

"Over the last three decades, the NBA has developed a great affinity for the people of China," Silver said. "At the same time, we recognize that our two countries have different political systems and beliefs. And like many global brands, we bring our business to places with different political systems around the world."

Former NBA commissioner David Stern inked a deal almost 30 years ago with Chinese television to play NBA games on a tape-delayed basis.

League teams have also been travelling to China for exhibition or preseason games for the past decade. Some of these games were even scheduled for the coming weeks, making Morey's statement rather untimely.

And the NBA has long been an international league, with 108 players coming from outside of the United States at the start of the 2018 season.

This diversity is what Silver said was one of the league's strengths: "With that diversity comes the belief that whatever our differences, we respect and value each other; and, what we have in common, including a belief in the power of sports to make a difference, remains our bedrock principle."

"Basketball runs deep in the hearts and minds of our two peoples," Silver said. "At a time when divides between nations grow deeper and wider, we believe sports can be a unifying force that focuses on what we have in common as human beings rather than our differences."

The new NBA season kicks off on October 22, or October 23 in Manila time.

source: philstar.com

Foul lane: Rockets' Harden apologizes for China traffic violation

SHANGHAI – Houston Rockets star James Harden is used to flying past defenders in the NBA, but he was swiftly blocked by a traffic officer in China as he rode a scooter in Shanghai.

Harden, 29, apologized after causing a social media storm following his weekend ride on one of China's ubiquitous electric scooters.

Images circulating online showed Harden stopped by police on Saturday, and state media said it was for allegedly riding against traffic and in an area where scooters are forbidden.

A friend of his is seen on another scooter with a passenger on the back, which is illegal in Shanghai for certain types of non-motor vehicles.

"I would like to apologize for violating traffic rules during my scooter ride today," Harden wrote in English and Chinese on the Twitter-like Weibo platform on Saturday night, adding that he asked his staff to accept the penalty, which he did not specify.


"Not a good example obviously but I was just trying to enjoy the city as much as possible. Thank you for your understanding and I'll make sure to abide by the rules next time here," Harden wrote on his Weibo account, which has close to 1.6 million followers.

The Shanghai police responded to Harden's apology on Sunday, quipping that a whistle can be used for the rules of the game as well as the road.

"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. Hope you can play better and better in your future basketball matches and everyone will be safe on the road," the police wrote on Weibo.

Shanghai has cranked up its traffic law enforcement against non-motor vehicles and pedestrians since April.

Some fans voiced support for Harden's down-to-earth apology, while others said celebrities should not have special treatment.

"The only man who can single-handedly defend Harden has appeared," a fan commented on Weibo.

The NBA is hugely popular in China, which will host the basketball World Cup starting August 31. The Rockets are famous in China for being the team where retired Chinese center Yao Ming played.

source: philstar.com

Rockets romp past Nuggets; Pistons thwart Magic

LOS ANGELES – James Harden scored 38 points to led the Houston Rockets to a 112-85 victory over the Denver Nuggets in a battle of NBA Western Conference contenders on Thursday (Friday Manila time).

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden added six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes on the floor as the Rockets blew past a Nuggets team boasting the second-best record in the West behind the reigning champion Golden State Warriors.

"I think it's important for our confidence, our rhythm, our chemistry," said Rockets center Clint Capela, who added 17 points with 15 rebounds. "We did a good job tonight to keep them under 25 points a quarter.


Eric Gordon added 18 points and Austin Rivers chipped in 15 for the Rockets, who out-scored the Nuggets 40-19 in the second quarter to seize control of the contest.

Elsewhere, the Utah Jazz's playoff berth was confirmed thanks to the Sacrament Kings' 121-118 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

The playoff bound Toronto Raptors encountered little resistance from the Knicks in a 117-92 victory in New York.

Forward Pascal Siakam led the Raptors with 31 points as Toronto improved to 53-23 -- second in the East behind the Milwaukee Bucks who improved to 57-19 with a 128-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Philadelphia 76ers strengthened their hold on the third seed in the East with a 123-110 victory over Brooklyn that saw the Nets slip a notch to seventh -- the penultimate playoff spot.

Joel Embiid scored 39 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out six assists, making three of his four attempts from 3-point range.

The Detroit Pistons found themselves in sixth in the East after a valuable 115-98 victory over the Orlando Magic — who dropped out of a playoff spot into eighth place with the defeat coupled with the Miami Heat's 105-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Andre Drummond scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, out-playing Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic.

The Pistons, who had lost six of nine games, snapped a three-game losing streak and they also take the season series against the Magic three games to one -- a playoff tiebreaker advantage.

Inspirational performances

The Heat, coming off a loss to Orlando on Tuesday, got themselves back in playoff position at No. 8 with a 105-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Goran Dragic marked his return to Miami's starting lineup with a triple-double of 23 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.

It was the Slovenian guard's first triple-double with the Heat and his first since he was with the Houston Rockets in 2010-11.

"I would never bet against him as a competitor," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "We needed some inspirational performances tonight."

The triple-double also gave him bragging rights over the Mavericks' Slovenian rookie sensation Luka Doncic, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

It was a first NBA clash between the two players who teamed up to lead Slovenia to the 2017 Euro Basket title.

Although the Mavs have struggled on the road, they led 29-26 after one quarter and 59-49 at halftime.

The Heat knotted the score at 62-62 early in the third, but Dallas had edged ahead 82-75 going into the final frame before Miami managed to seal the win. Veteran Dwyane Wade scored six of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.

"This group has some character and we had to really reveal a lot of that in the second half," Spoelstra said.

source: philstar.com

Harden explodes for 58 points as Rockets rally to beat Heat

LOS ANGELES – James Harden delivered his seventh career 50-point, 10-assist performance Thursday (Friday Manila time) as the Houston Rockets edged the Miami Heat, 121-118.

With Harden in a 3-point shooting slump over the last few games, the Rockets have been depending on their reserves to help get the job done.

But Harden reasserted himself Thursday in front of a home crowd of 18,100 at the Toyota Center, finishing with 58 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds on a night when the Rockets had to once again tinker with their roster because of injuries.


"I wanted to be aggressive and continue to attack the rim," Harden said. "I took my shots when I had the opportunities."

He got some help down the stretch from Austin Rivers (17 points) and Chris Paul, whose jumper with 46 seconds left followed a failed Harden 3-pointer and extended the lead to three. Coming into the game Harden was just three for 31 from beyond the arc in his previous three games.

Harden has three 50-point, 10-assist games this season. He had his streak of consecutive 30-point games snapped at 32 on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.

"We get the stat sheet at the end of the game, and I saw he had 58," teammate Rivers said. "All of us were like, 'He had that many points?' We had no idea he had that many points. That's a lot of points. He was incredible."

Last month Harden scored a career-high and franchise-record 61 points in a 114-110 win over the lowly New York Knicks.

Miami grabbed a 113-103 lead on a Goran Dragic 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining, but Houston answered with a 14-0 run to take the lead.

Miami had seven players scoring in double figures with Dragic and Kelly Olynyk scoring 21 points apiece.

The Heat shot 51.9 percent overall but went cold at the wrong time, posting only 20 points on six-for-17 shooting in the final period.

"We were lackadaisical on defence, especially in that second quarter," Harden said. "They gained confidence and knocked down shots. They were just too comfortable, so we had to pick the pressure up in the second half, create some turnovers and energy with our defence."

The Rockets were without regulars Eric Gordon (knee), Kenneth Faried (hip) and Iman Shumpert (calf).

Elsewhere, Aaron Gordon tallied 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Orlando Magic snapped an 11-game losing streak to beat the Golden State Warriors 103-96.

The two-time defending NBA champion Warriors blew an 11-point lead en route to losing their second game in as many nights, after they fell to the Miami Heat 126-125 when veteran Dwyane Wade nailed the game winner at the buzzer on Wednesday.

Terrence Ross scored 16 points, D.J. Augustin got 14, while Nikola Vucevic had 12 points and 13 rebounds to help Orlando beat the Warriors for the first time since December 2012.

Stephen Curry scored 33 points, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins each had 21 for the Warriors, who rested Kevin Durant and ended up paying for it.

Curry goes cold

Curry sank only one basket in the fourth quarter.

"Considering the way we finished the third quarter, we were pretty much in control of the game," Curry said. "But we missed a lot of shots and didn't get any stops so it's a frustrating way to end. This is a tough one."

The Magic shot just five-of-23 from the field in the third quarter and trailed 81-70 going into the fourth. They led by eight points at halftime.

Ross nailed a 3-pointer in the fourth to spark a 15-4 run. His final 3-pointer of the game, with 4:16 left, made it 89-89.

Also, Bojan Bogdanovic scored a season-high 35 points and the Indiana Pacers overcame Karl-Anthony Towns' dominating offensive performance for Minnesota to beat the Timberwolves 122-115.

Towns had 42 points and 17 rebounds, scoring 23 points and grabbing seven rebounds in the first quarter.

source: philstar.com

Harden explodes anew as Rockets beat Magic on Paul's return

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul returned from injury, but it was James Harden's 40 points that fueled the Houston Rockets' 103-98 come-from-behind victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday (Monday Manila time).

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Harden extended his streak of games with at least 30 points to 23. He chipped in 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots — including one in the last 30 seconds to help the Rockets seal the win.

Paul, who missed 17 games with a left hamstring injury, finished with 12 points, six assists and five steals.


Houston trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter, never taking the lead until there were less than five minutes remaining.

Harden keyed their rally, scoring seven straight Rockets points in the final 2:12 of the contest starting with a basket that put Houston up 95-93.

"They kept digging it and digging it and finally we held them to 37 in the second half," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That was awesome — that was really good defense."

Meanwhile, Paul George led the way in Oklahoma City, scored 36 points and pulling down 13 rebounds in the Thunder's 118-112 victory over the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks.

Russell Westbrook notched his 16th triple-double of the season with 13 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Thunder put the brakes on Milwaukee's Most Valuable Player candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo to post a fifth straight win.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter.

Milwaukee closed to within three with 1:09 left in the game, but George answered Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe's 3-pointer with his own from beyond the arc to push the Thunder's lead back to 113-107 and contributed two of the free throws that Oklahoma City used to seal the game.

Antetokounmpo finished with 27 points and 18 rebounds and Khris Middleton added 22 points for the Bucks, who saw their six-game winning streak end.

In Dallas, Toronto star Kawhi Leonard scored 33 points and the Raptors withstood a triple-double from Dallas rookie Luka Doncic in a 123-120 victory over the Mavericks.

Pascal Siakam converted a 3-point play with 3:56 remaining to break a 108-108 tie as the Raptors erased a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Danny Green stretched Toronto's lead to 116-112 with 1:34 to play, and after Dallas' Harrison Barnes missed a pair of free throws Leonard scored on a driving layup.

Mavs prodigy Doncic, 19, scored 35 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists to become the first to post two triple-doubles in the NBA while still a teenager.

However, it wasn't enough to prevent Toronto from improving to 37-15 to pull into a virtual tie atop the East with the 35-13 Bucks.

Cavs snap skid

Elsewhere, the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a six-game skid with a 104-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

The game came down to the final possession, with Bulls guard Zach LaVine's 3-point attempt over Cedi Osman bouncing off the rim at the buzzer.

The Cavs limited the Bulls to one basket from the field in the final 3:50 as they clung on for the win.

"We haven't been in that situation often, but when we do get there, it's important moving forward that we learn how to play down the stretch, we learn how to execute, how to defensively get the stops that we need," Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew said. "Certainly any time you do that on the road it makes it that much sweeter."

In New York, the Miami Heat climbed back to .500 with a 106-97 victory over the Knicks.

Miami guard Wayne Ellington scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including a pair of 3-pointers that pushed the Heat's lead to 100-92 with 1:08 remaining.

Veteran Dwyane Wade added 15 points off the bench for Miami in his penultimate appearance at Madison Square Garden before he retires at the end of the season.

source: philstar.com

Harden's 43 points, triple-double steer Rockets past Grizzlies

HOUSTON — James Harden had 43 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists in his fourth straight 40-point game, leading the Houston Rockets over the Memphis Grizzlies, 113-101, on Monday night (Tuesday Manila time) for their fifth consecutive victory.

Harden set an NBA record with his eighth straight game with at least 35 points and five assists, besting Oscar Robertson, who twice had seven-game streaks. Harden finished with his fourth triple-double this season and 39th overall.

Houston has won 10 of its last 11 to improve to 21-15.

Harden continued his incredible run that has powered Houston's surge up the Western Conference standings after a slow start, making six 3-pointers and 21 of 27 free throws. He has made at least four 3-pointers in eight straight games has finished with 30 points or more in 10 games in a row.

The Grizzlies cut the lead to nine with about 90 seconds left. But P.J. Tucker made a free throw for Houston before Austin Rivers added a layup to make it 113-101 and seal the victory with about 35 seconds left.

Harden grabbed his 10th rebound seconds after that to complete his triple-double.

Kyle Anderson had 20 points and Mike Conley added 19 for the Grizzlies, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Houston was up by 13 to start the fourth and back-to-back baskets by Clint Capela made it 93-77 with about 9 minutes left. Harden made four straight free throws for the Rockets later in the fourth to leave them up 98-83.

But the Grizzlies scored four quick points, with the last basket coming when Anderson stole the ball from Harden, to cut it to 98-87 with 5 1/2 to go.

Gerald Green answered with a 3-pointer and Houston stretched the lead to 103-87 with about 4 minutes left.

The Rockets led by double digits for most of the night and were up by 23 after two free throws by Harden midway through the third quarter. Memphis closed out the third with a 14-3 run to get within 86-73 entering the fourth. Marc Gasol led the way in that stretch, scoring five points.

The Rockets led 61-38 at halftime behind 28 points from Harden. He capped his huge first half by making two 3s in the last 31 seconds of the half, capped by one that was well behind the line with Anderson in his face.

Tip-ins

Grizzlies: Gasol has at least one 3-pointer in 13 straight games, which ties a career high.

Rockets: James Ennis missed his 10th straight game with a strained right hamstring. Coach Mike D'Antoni said he should return for Houston's next game. ... Chris Paul missed his fifth game with a strained left hamstring. He said Monday that he's doing better but doesn't know when he'll return. ... Green made four 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with 18 points and six 3s. ... Eric Gordon sat out with a bruised right knee.

source: philstar.com

Harden torches Celtics with 45 points in Houston win

HOUSTON — James Harden thinks he should be in the MVP discussion again this season and showed why on Thursday night (Friday Manila time).

Harden had 45 points and six assists, Clint Capela added 24 points and 18 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Boston Celtics, 127-113, for their eighth win in nine games.

"Of course, I should be in that conversation," Harden, the reigning MVP, said. "I received a lot of hate, but it won't stop me from going out there and killing it every single night and being the dog that I am. You can name a few other people that can be in that conversation, but realistically, it's coming back."


Harden, who was playing on a bruised left calf, had 17 points in the first quarter and finished 11 of 26 from the field, including 9 of 18 on 3-pointers.

"You take those shots, you're confident in those shots and those shots will go in," Harden said. "Sometimes they might not go in, but mostly, they'll go in. I just have to keep going, keep working."

Eric Gordon scored 20 points for Houston, which shot 48 percent while improving to a season-high four games above .500. Houston finished 18 of 45 on 3-pointers.

"He has a mastery of the game and a control and an ease of which he plays," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said of Harden. "It's fun to watch."

Harden has scored at least 30 points in eight straight games, the longest such streak since Russell Westbrook had eight straight 30-point games in November 2016. Harden has scored at least 35 points in six straight games, the longest streak since Carmelo Anthony had six straight in April 2013.

"I think what James is doing is really special because he's really carrying us right now," Gerald Green said. "Not only is he scoring, he's leading us."

Kyrie Irving had 23 points and 11 assists, Marcus Morris added 19 points before being ejected midway through the fourth quarter, and Jaylen Brown had 18 points off the bench for Boston, which shot 47 percent but was outrebounded 54-38.

"The first 18 minutes and then the last 24 minutes, the glass killed us," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "I thought the restricted area generally on both sides of the floor, our finishing and our lack of rebounding were separators."

The Rockets used a 14-4 run to end the third and start the fourth to open up a 103-90 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Green with 9 minutes remaining. Boston got no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

"We just weren't covering up for one another consistently enough," Irving said. "That's really what it comes down to."

Houston opened up a 41-24 advantage a minute into the second on 3-pointer by Danuel House Jr. Trailing 50-33, Boston used a 22-7 run to end the half, aided by three technical fouls against the Rockets in barely a minute, to cut the lead to 57-55 on Marcus Smart's 3-pointer. Irving had seven in the run.

Tip-ins

Celtics: Aron Baynes (broken finger) missed his fourth straight game. ... Robert Williams missed the game with a sore left leg. .. Al Horford had 15 points, and Smart scored 11.

Rockets: James Ennis missed his eighth straight game with a strained right hamstring, but D'Antoni said he was "close" to returning. ... Green and Austin Rivers each scored 10 points.

Technical fouls

Within a 61-second span of the second quarter, Chris Paul, who is out with a left hamstring strain but was sitting on Houston's bench, D'Antoni and Capela were all called for technical fouls. Capela's, which was the last with 2:28 remaining, was called for hanging on the rim following a dunk.

Morris was called for a technical foul with 9 minutes left in the third after taking the ball to the other end of the court after being called for a foul. Morris was called for his second technical foul with 4:38 left in the fourth after arguing an offensive foul. Smart was called for a technical foul with 24 seconds remaining.

source: philstar.com

Harden’s return powers Rockets

Lebron, Rondo keep Lakers on stream

CHICAGO – James Harden scored 25 points, including 11 in a decisive run in the third quarter, in his return to the Houston lineup and the Rockets defeated the Chicago Bulls 96-88 on Saturday night in the National Basketball Association.

Harden, who had missed three games with a strained left hamstring, scored 11 straight points in a 1:59 span of the third as the Rockets went on a 15-0 run.

Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and James Ennis added 15 as the Rockets won their second game in two nights after starting the season 1-5.


Chicago led 59-58 midway through the third quarter before the Rockets and Harden went ahead for good, outscoring the Bulls 21-7 in the period.

Zach LaVine led Chicago with 21 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Jabari Parker added 15 points as the Bulls lost their fourth straight game – going 0-4 in the homestand – and dropped their fifth straight to the Rockets.

In Portland,  LeBron James had 28 points and seven assists and Los Angeles topped Portland, 114-110.

Rajon Rondo gave the Lakers a huge lift off the bench, finishing with 17 points and 10 assists in 25 minutes.

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum each scored 30 points for Portland.

Portland shot a 6 for 35 (17 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Lakers had seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and finished with 20 overall, but they survived their mistakes.

In Indianapolis, Victor Oladipo connected on a 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining to lift Indiana past Boston, 102-101.

Oladipo finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Tyreke Evans added 17 points for the Pacers, who shot 41 percent (36 for 87).

Marcus Morris had a team-high 23 points and six rebounds for the Celtics, who shot 43 percent (38 for 88) and had their four-game winning streak snapped.

In Philadelphia,  Joel Embiid scored 32 of his 39 points in a dominating first half and had 17 rebounds to lead Philadelphia over Detriot 109-99.

Embiid made 10 of 18 field goals and 18 of 23 free throws to help Philadelphia improve to 6-0 at home.

Elsewhere, it was Hornets 126, Cavaliers 94; Hawks 123, Heat 118; Spurs 109, Pelicans 95; Nuggets 103, Jazz 88.                                                               

source: philstar.com

‘Best of West’ final showdown looms

MANILA, Philippines — The Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets both raced to a pair of lopsided wins on Sunday and can book their spots in the Western Conference final with victories on their home courts on Tuesday.

Kevin Durant scored 38 points to power the reigning NBA champion Warriors over the New Orleans Pelicans, 118-92, and Chris Paul finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds as the Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz, 100-87.

Durant said his free form game plan allowed him to be aggressive and effective at the same time.

“I just try to tell myself that I’m at my best when I don’t care what happens after the game, the outcome or anything,” Durant said.


Stephen Curry added 23 points as the Warriors seized a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven second-round series.

The Warriors are seeking a fourth consecutive trip to the NBA finals and their third crown in four seasons.

Curry said the key was getting the ball to their hottest player, Durant.

“Just find ways to get him in scoring positions,” Curry said. “Sometimes, that’s not really hard to do – just throw it to him.

“Just keep the game simple at that point because he’s such a great scorer, you don’t have to really overthink things.”

The host Pelicans, led by 26 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Davis, never led while Golden State stretched the lead to as many as 26 points.

Durant added nine rebounds while Draymond Green had eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists for the Warriors.

In Utah, NBA veteran Paul, celebrating his 33rd birthday, also had 12 rebounds while James Harden scored 24 points to power the Rockets to a 3-1 series lead.
“It was an emotional, crazy game,” said Paul.

Clint Capela tallied 12 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks in the win.

Paul powered the offense and when he combined with Harden they were impossible to defend against.

“There are different ways to win,” said Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni. “We got a lot of stuff we can go to. The plan was to get that, so we wouldn’t be a one dimensional team.”                           

source: philstar.com

James Harden’s sizzling 4Q carries Rockets past Wizards; Sixers fall again

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni said his team must iron out their defensive kinks after a James Harden-inspired road victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday.

Harden scored 32 points — including 14 in the final quarter — as the Rockets prevailed 114-106 to improve their season record to 4-3.

Harden’s final quarter points spree rescued the Rockets, who had trailed 95-94 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game.

However Houston pulled away with a run of 12 points to lead 106-95 with 3:43 remaining.

Ryan Anderson chipped in with 23 points while Trevor Ariza added 15 points.

But D’Antoni was alarmed by the way his team had shipped points in the first and third quarters, conceding 30 and 36 points respectively.

“We had two really good defensive quarters and two really bad ones,” D’Antoni told reporters.

“We’ve got to smooth it out and keep working on it. We did enough to win. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”

Nevertheless, D’Antoni is confident his team has the savvy to improve their defense.

“We’re not even close to where we need to be as a team,” he said. “But that’s good because we’ve got room for improvement and there’s no reason why we can’t keep improving.”

Harden meanwhile also backed the Rockets to tighten up their defensive game, as they managed to do in the decisive fourth quarter.

“That was the only way we’d have the opportunity to win, through our defense,” Harden said.

“First quarter we gave up 30 points, second quarter we gave up 17. We were just too inconsistent.

“But fourth quarter we did a great job of blocking in and playing harder. We’ll figure it out.

“We are going to make mistakes but we are going to have each other’s backs.”

The Rockets made 17 of 37 three-pointers and shot 51.9 percent from the field.

Both Anderson and Ariza sank three-pointers in the decisive stretch of the match.

For the Wizards, John Wall had 21 points and eight assists but was ejected with 33 seconds left following a second technical foul.

Bradley Beal and Otto Porter bagged 20 points for the Wizards, who fell to 1-5 with the loss.

Patience for Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown called on fans to lower expectations about returning star Joel Embiid on Monday as the Cameroonian center works his way back from a long-term injury.

Embiid scored 14 points but the 7ft (2.13m) player’s contribution was not enough to stop the Sixers sliding to their sixth loss of the year, 109-84 to the Utah Jazz.

The Sixers (0-6), the worst team in the NBA last year with an abysmal record of 10 wins and 72 losses, are looking to Embiid, who has missed all of the last two seasons due to injury, to help transform the franchise’s fortunes.

But although Embiid has impressed in the games he has played in so far this year, Brown said it was easy to forget that the 22-year-old, the third pick overall in the 2014 draft, remained massively inexperienced.

“We all get excited, you know, that he’s going to come out from the get-go and be Joel Embiid and play like a poised veteran,” Brown said.

“But it’s just not fair, or true. There is a level of realization that we have to go through to wait and watch and make him grow.

“He’s still going to produce some of the numbers you see. But there are still lots of times where it’s clear he’s a young man who hasn’t played basketball for two and a half years.

“He’s finding his feet, all wrapped up in this big frame, with a hell of a lot of talent.”

Brown’s plea for patience however could not deflect attention away from another disappointing loss.

The Jazz were without George Hill (thumb injury) and Rudy Gobert, who fouled out after playing just 20 minutes. However even with those absences, Utah remained firmly in control with Gordon Hayward’s 20 points and 16 from Derrick Favors leading the way. Rodney Hood added 18 points as the Jazz improved to 5-3.

“I think (the victory) speaks to our depth,” Hayward said. “I think it speaks to our inner drive a little bit, because we have some expectations for ourselves this year. You’ve got to take care of these games.”

Jazz coach Quin Snyder said the club’s depth on the bench had been crucial. “They really picked it up,” he said. “That group of guys picked up the intensity on defense, and it carried over.”

source: interaksyon.com

Rockets, Grizzlies off to perfect 4-0 starts early in NBA season

The Houston Rockets routed the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers 104-93 on Monday to improve to 4-0 in the fledgling NBA season, with their toughest test to date looming Tuesday at Miami.

James Harden made just seven field goals but hit 17 of 18 free throws to finish with 35 points for the Rockets, adding nine rebounds and five assists for a Houston team off to its first 4-0 start since they won six straight to launch the 1996-97 campaign.

Trevor Ariza added 24 points and Dwight Howard chipped in 11 points with 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Rockets, who made seven three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 32-19 lead after one period and used another barrage of long-range shots — including two from Isaiah Canaan — to put the game away in the fourth.

The victory over the winless 76ers, who fell to 0-4, was no surprise.

The Rockets will face a tougher test on Tuesday when they visit the Heat, who are off to a 3-0 start despite the departure of superstar LeBron James for Cleveland after four seasons in Miami.

On Thursday the Rockets face another searching examination when they host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

They won’t be able to get away with the kind of mistakes they made against Philadelphia, notably 22 turnovers.

“Give our guys credit, in what was a ragtag game for us they found a way to get a win,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

They’ll have to do better in Miami, where Chris Bosh, often overshadowed by James and Dwyane Wade in his first four seasons with the Heat, has emerged as a leader.

Bosh earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the first week of the season with an average of 25.7 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest while handing out four assists per game.

“It’s just time,” Bosh told reporters of his emergence after finishing with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Toronto on Sunday.

“I knew I couldn’t settle into that same position I’ve been in the past four years, floating outside and shooting a couple jumpers.”

Against the Rockets on Tuesday the Heat will be trying to maintain their status as the only unbeaten team left in the Eastern Conference.

Grizzlies improve to 4-0

The Memphis Grizzlies also improved to 4-0 on Monday with a 93-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Spanish big man Marc Gasol led all five Grizzlies starters in double figures with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Gasol and Zach Randolph both contributed double-doubles, Randolph delivering 15 points and 11 rebounds while the two combined to provide a formidable interior defense.

Gasol and Randolph limited the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis to 14 points and eight rebounds, lackluster numbers compared to the 28.5 points and 16 rebounds Davis was averaging through two games coming into the contest.

The Grizzlies are 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.

source: interaksyon.com

James Harden scores 38 as slow-starting Rockets down Lakers

Rockets 113, Lakers 99: James Harden poured in 38 points and added five steals as host Houston rallied from a slow start to send Los Angeles to its ninth loss in 10 games.

Dwight Howard tallied 20 points, 13 rebounds and four steals for the Rockets, who were without forward Chandler Parsons (knee) and reserve center Greg Smith. Terrence Jones added 15 points and 13 boards and Jeremy Lin scored 13 for Houston, which has won five of its last seven overall and seven of nine at home.

Nick Young scored 25 points off the bench despite a sore back to lead the Lakers, who committed 18 turnovers leading to 26 Houston points. Pau Gasol recorded 21 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double and Jodie Meeks also scored 21 for Los Angeles.

After a strong first half, the Lakers hit a wall coming out of the break, going 6-of-18 from the field in the third quarter as Harden alone outscored them 17-15. Harden scored seven points during a 14-1 run as Houston opened a 16-point lead and never let the margin dip into single digits even when Los Angeles resorted to intentionally fouling Howard to try to close the gap in the fourth quarter.

Los Angeles led by as many as 11 in the first half as Gasol and Young each scored 15 points before the break. Houston finished the half with a flurry, though, as Harden and Aaron Brooks each hit 3-pointers in the final 1:38 to help trim the deficit to 57-52 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden is the first Houston player with three straight 35-point games since Tracy McGrady in 2006. … Lakers PG Kendall Marshall struggled to five points on 2-of-13 shooting but dished out eight assists, giving him 46 in his first four career starts. … Houston finished 28-of-50 at the foul line with Howard going 10-for-24.

source: interaksyon.com