Nets survive Rockets, but James Harden exits game

Kyrie Irving collected 31 points and a season-high 12 assists as the Brooklyn Nets rallied in the 4th quarter to beat the Houston Rockets, 120-108, Wednesday night in New York.

Joe Harris added 14 of his 28 points in the 4th period and hit seven 3-pointers as the Nets moved into first place in the Eastern Conference and improved to 19-3 since February 10.

The news wasn’t all good for Brooklyn, though, as James Harden left the game due to right hamstring tightness. Harden scored 17 points before exiting with 4:48 remaining in the 3rd quarter as the Nets were starting to rally.

After holding on for a five-point win over the league-worst Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Brooklyn started slowly Wednesday. The Nets did not take their first lead until late in the 3rd quarter, and they trailed throughout the first 6 minutes of the 4th.

Houston held a 101-95 lead on a layup by Avery Bradley with 7:28 remaining, but the Nets went ahead for good at 102-101 on an uncontested three-pointer by Harris with 5:38 left.

That was part of a game-ending 25-7 run. The Nets finished it off when Harris hit two three-pointers in a span of 13 seconds to push the lead to 120-105 with 47.3 seconds left.

Irving shot 12-of-25 from the floor. Nicolas Claxton added 12 points and 8 rebounds for the Nets, who shot 48.9% from the field and overcame an 18-point deficit. Brooklyn newcomer Blake Griffin hit two triples in the game-ending run and finished with 11 points.

Kevin Porter Jr scored 20 points for the Rockets, who blew a double-digit lead for the third time in 4 games. Danuel House Jr added 18 for Houston, which made 15 of its first 19 shots and sank 50% overall from the floor.

House scored 12 points and the Rockets held a 42-29 lead through the 1st quarter. Porter scored 9 points in the 2nd quarter and Houston held a 68-57 edge entering halftime.

Houston held an 82-69 lead on a basket by Jae’Sean Tate with 5:09 remaining in the 3rd, but Brooklyn closed the quarter with a 17-5 spurt to get within 87-86. – Rappler.com