NBA: Celtics hand Rockets 16th straight loss in blowout

Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 134-107 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center.

The Celtics, who have won five of six games, overcame an early eight-point deficit courtesy of Tatum and Brown passing the baton offensively. 

Boston also helped matters by displaying superior ball security, coming alive after five early turnovers helped Houston to its 28-20 lead.

Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and ignited an 18-6 Boston run that closed the frame. The Celtics shot 61.9 percent in the period, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, to erase the deficit. Brown took control in the second with 16 points, including a 3 with 6:26 left that built the lead to 54-36.

The Rockets, meanwhile, opened the period missing 10 of 11 shots. The Celtics' lead ballooned to 66-53 by the intermission with Brown scoring 21 points before the break while the Boston bench contributed 25 points. The Celtics managed a 34-18 advantage on the glass and held the Rockets, who extended their losing skid to 16 games, to 7-of-25 3-point shooting in the first half.

Victor Oladipo had 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Rockets while Kenyon Martin Jr. added 21 points and four rebounds off the Houston bench. Kevin Porter Jr. cooled considerably after a hot start and finished with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting plus seven assists.

With a loss on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets would match the franchise record of 17 consecutive losses set during their inaugural season in San Diego in 1967-68.

The Celtics' dominance extended beyond Brown and Tatum. Kemba Walker scored 11 points over the first two minutes of the third quarter to help Boston extend its lead to 79-57. Tristan Thompson grabbed 13 rebounds. Robert Williams totaled 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks off the bench as the Celtics' reserves scored 63 points.

-reuters

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

Thunder's 'big three' powers Oklahoma past Houston

The Oklahoma City Thunder adopted a simple mantra for Saturday’s game (Sunday in Manila) against the Houston Rockets with their playoff fate still up in the air.

“We just better not lose,” Paul George said.

For one night at least, it worked.

George and Russell Westbrook each scored 24 points, and Oklahoma City snapped Houston’s 20-game home winning streak with a 108-102 victory.

The Thunder were down one with about seven minutes left before scoring the next 11 points.

Oklahoma City (46-34) is tied with San Antonio and New Orleans for fifth in the loaded Western Conference, a half-game behind idle Utah. The Thunder can clinch a playoff spot with a victory at Miami on Monday.

“This game was important but the Monday game is just as important as this game because if we don’t take care of business Monday then this game doesn’t really mean anything,” said Carmelo Anthony, who had 22 points.

The Thunder took two of three in the season series against the NBA-best Rockets.

James Harden had 26 points for Houston, and Chris Paul added 17.

“I thought we tasted the playoff atmosphere because these guys are fighting for their lives and we’re not,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s human nature, there’s no reward in winning.”

Paul hit a step-back jumper and Gerald Green scored to give the Rockets a 92-91 lead with 7:09 left. But Westbrook scored five quick points to start an 11-0 run by Oklahoma City that made it 102-92 with about four minutes remaining.
Houston went scoreless for more than four minutes, missing seven shots and committing three turnovers as Oklahoma City pulled away. The Thunder also blocked three shots in that span.

“Just doing what you’ve got to do to win, honestly,” Westbrook said.

The Rockets scored five straight points with less than a minute left to get within five, but George made two free throws to help secure the win.

Anthony made three of the Thunder’s 10 3-pointers. He said it was important for them to be in attack mode right from the start.

“It was one of those days, understanding the situation that we’re in and just trying to be aggressive out there on both ends and go after it from the beginning,” he said.

The Thunder led by as many as 11 in the first half, but Houston used a 5-1 spurt take a 62-61 lead at halftime.

source: philstar.com

Rockets fend off elimination with Game 5 rout of Clippers

HOUSTON — Guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard delivered under the most dire circumstances for the Houston Rockets, who averted elimination with a 124-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night at Toyota Center.

Harden posted 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the Rockets forced a return trip to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center by thriving in the paint and playing with defensive vigor.

Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series three games to two. If the Rockets can even the series Thursday, Game 7 would be Sunday back in Houston.

The Rockets matched their Game 3 total for points in the paint (36) by halftime and finished with 64. Houston took full advantage of the foul difficulties plaguing Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who had three by the break while logging just nine first-half minutes.

Jordan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds but was largely neutralized as a rim protector. Forward Blake Griffin paced the Clippers with 30 points and 16 rebounds, while guard Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists. The guard trio of J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers, instrumental in two blowout wins in Los Angeles, shot a combined 8-for-33.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale tweaked his lineup, starting forward Josh Smith in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Jones added 12 points and five boards.

Houston forward Trevor Ariza paired 22 points with eight assists.

The Rockets closed the first half with an 18-5 surge, limiting the Clippers to just one basket over the final three-plus minutes of the second quarter. Guard Jason Terry drilled a pair of 3-pointers during that run, and Harden scored six points, hitting a shot with 0.3 seconds left in the half for a 63-48 advantage.

The Rockets led by as many as 22 points in the third quarter before Griffin paced a Clippers rally with nine points during a surge that cut the deficit to 83-70. The Houston bench prevented any further slippage in the fourth quarter, and Los Angeles failed the mount a serious late run.

NOTES: Clippers coach Doc Rivers was surprised by the news that the New Orleans Pelicans fired coach Monty Williams after Williams guided them through a series of debilitating injuries and into the postseason for the second time in his five seasons. “That was a shocker to me,” said Rivers of the dismissal of Williams, who played for Rivers in Orlando (1999-2002). “I was surprised (because of) all the injuries they had.” … Clippers F Glen Davis continues to be slowed by the left ankle sprain he sustained in the opening playoff round against the San Antonio Spurs. Davis played just six minutes Tuesday after appearing for 15 minutes total during Games 3 and 4.

source: interaksyon.com