Rockets burn Heat for 6th straight win

LOS ANGELES, USA – Houston’s MVP candidate James Harden torched the Heat in Miami, pouring in 41 points in the Rockets’ 109-101 victory.

Harden, the league’s leading scorer, connected on 13-of-25 shots from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, as the Rockets notched a 6th straight victory.

Chris Paul added 22 points for the Rockets, who withstood a career-high 30 points from Miami’s Josh Richardson and 30 points from Goran Dragic.

The Heat had edged ahead 87-85 early in the 4th quarter, but Houston answered with 9 straight points.

A 3-pointer from Richardson pulled the Heat within 94-90, but Paul answered with a 3-pointer and Harden drained another pair of threes to effectively seal the victory – Rockets’ 10th in their last 11 games.

Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said he could see some signs of fatigue as his team wrapped up a 4-game road trip.

“James and Chris, again, found some extra juice and just finished it off,” he said.

In Detroit, Blake Griffin scored 11 of his team-high 25 points after he re-entered the game in the 4th quarter to propel the Pistons to a 115-106 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

The Pistons won their 5th straight – and their 4th since Griffin arrived via a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In New Orleans, the Pelicans’ game against the Indiana Pacers was postponed because of a leaky roof at the Smoothie King Center that led to puddling water on the court.

Tip-off was delayed, but eventually the NBA opted to postpone the contest, a move the Pelicans said was made “out of an abundance of caution for players’ safety”. – Rappler.com