HOUSTON -- James Harden and the Rockets were determined to make up for their most lopsided loss of the season when they got a second shot at Indiana on Friday night.
[b]Jose Alvarado Jersey[/b] . Not only did Houston do that, but it handed the Eastern Conference-leading Pacers their biggest defeat in the process. Harden had 28 points and the Rockets used a huge third quarter to turn a close game into a blowout in a 112-86 win over the Pacers. Harden scored 16 in Houstons 38-point third quarter, which turned a three-point lead into a 29-point advantage. He also got into a dustup with Evan Turner that resulted in both players receiving technical fouls. Dwight Howard and Harden went to the bench for the fourth period and watched their teammates wrap up Houstons fourth consecutive win. Indiana won by 33 the first time the teams met on Dec. 20 in Indianapolis. "Thats all we talked about," Howard said. "Every timeout and every possession. We wanted to get payback. It was good for us to come out (Friday) and stay on them for four quarters." David West had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, losers of three straight for the first time this season. "Were just putting the emphasis on trying to get better," Indiana centre Roy Hibbert said. "Since the All-Star break we havent been playing the best basketball. Weve been playing awful." But Pacers coach Frank Vogel isnt too concerned about his team despite the skid. "Every team Ive ever been a part of has had a stretch like were in right now," he said. "And since Ive been here weve always worked our way out of it, so Im sure we will. It stinks right now. Its not fun right now, but weve got a good team and well regroup." Howard finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin added 11 points apiece for the Rockets. The Pacers shot 6 of 18 in the third quarter with four turnovers and managed just 16 points -- matching Hardens total. Paul George, who finished with 13 points, scored two quick buckets to start the second half and get the Pacers to 50-47. The Rockets scored the next nine points as part of a 16-2 run that pushed the lead to 66-49. Howard sailed high above the rim to grab a pass from Parsons, who threw it over a leaping Hibbert, and finished with a two-handed dunk. Terrence Jones starting things off with a 3-pointer before Howard and Harden combined for the rest of the scoring in that run. After that, Hibbert made the second of two free throws after he was fouled by Howard. Hibbert crashed to the ground after minimal contact from Howard, and the play initially was ruled a flagrant foul before it was overturned on review. Houston scored seven straight points after that, thanks to a pair of turnovers by the Pacers. Parsons made two free throws before Harden grabbed a steal from West and sank a 3-pointer. A turnover by Lance Stephenson seconds later led to a dunk by Harden that made it 73-50. Thats when things got heated. Turner was fouled by Parsons after he stole the ball from Patrick Beverley. Turner pushed Harden with one hand at the end of the play. Harden immediately got in his face, so close it appeared they might be touching, and the pair exchanged words. They were quickly pulled apart while players from both teams yelled at each other. Harden said he got in Turners face because he went too far. "I wasnt going to let it slide," he said. "I wasnt having it." The fracas didnt do anything to slow down Harden, and he scored five points in the 10-3 run by Houston that followed, extending the lead to 83-53. Harden said it was important that the Rockets maintained their composure after the scuffle. "We knew that the game was going to be officiated tight after that and we did a good job of getting stops and getting out and getting layups and 3s," he said. The Rockets led 88-59 entering the fourth. Houston was up by 16 midway through the second quarter. The Pacers got going after that, outscoring the Rockets 19-10 the rest of the first half to cut the deficit to 50-43 at halftime. West had eight points during that stretch and George had a nifty reverse layup and a 3-pointer to help Indiana. NOTES: Beverley, who broke his nose in the first half of Houstons game against Orlando on Wednesday, wore a mask to protect the injury. ... Former Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon and Tracy McGrady attended the game, flanking team owner Leslie Alexander in their courtside seats.
[b]Charlie Morton Rays Jersey[/b] . As Valanciunas was whistled for a rare technical toward the end of the third quarter - a result of waving his hand at an official after being called for a foul - Lowry pulled the Raptors sophomore aside, corralling him by his jersey and patting him on the back.
[b]Oliver Drake Jersey[/b] . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St.ATLANTA -- Brandon Bass was back in the starting lineup on Saturday night, leading the Celtics to a victory. Bass had 17 points, seven rebounds and two key blocks and the Celtics surged past the Atlanta Hawks 94-87. "Hes had a tough week," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "We took him out of the starting lineup. Tonight, we put him back in and he responded. He anchored our defence, especially in the fourth quarter." The Celtics, who had lost six straight, entered the fourth quarter trailing 74-64. But a strong defensive effort resulted in a stretch of 11 straight scoreless possessions for the Hawks at one point and just 13 points for Atlanta in the final quarter. "We have to be great defensively for us to have any success," Bass said. "We do not have All-Stars at the offensive end where we dont need to play defence. Everybody has to be on point on both sides of the ball for us to get wins." Al Horford led the Hawks with 18 points and seven rebounds, and Jeff Teague had 13 points and 10 assists. Atlanta had won four of five games before losing for just the second time this season at home. Trailing 85-84 with 3:17 to play, the Celtics scored seven straight to take a 91-85 lead with 46 seconds left. Jordan Crawford scored five points during the run, "When we were down, I was kind of the reason," said Crawford, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. "I was the only one kind of struggling on offence, trying to find my shot. So I just wanted to make the effort to try to get to the hole, try to make a couple plays." The Hawks broke open a tight game by closing out the third quarter with a 17-5 run that gave them a 74-64 lead. Included in that run was a flagrant foul on Jared Sullinger that resulted in a three-point trip for the Hawks. Teague had six points and an assist to spark the Hawks, while the Ceeltics floundered on offence, missing six of their final seven field goal attempts in the quarter.
[b]Austin Pruitt Rays Jersey[/b]. It appeared as if a grueling stretch for the Celtics was catching up to them, as they were playing their fourth game in five nights in four different cities. Early in the fourth, however, the Celtics put together a 10-0 run to make it a one-point game with 5:28 to play. "It has really been quite a stretch (schedule-wise)," Stevens said. "(The Hawks) missed a few shots they normally make, and we played really well in the fourth quarter. If we dont have all hands on deck, its not pretty. We had all hands on deck tonight." The Celtics outrebounded the Hawks 47-38 and held the Hawks to 38.7 per cent shooting. "We showed great resolve," Bass said. "When things got tough, we stuck together. The losing streak was wearing on us. It was a great time to get a win." Avery Bradley had 12 points and five rebounds for the Celtics and limited Hawks Kyle Korver to just nine points. Vitor Faverani chipped in 11 points off the bench. "We need to get to the free throw line," said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, whose team was outshot 31-12 at the line. "Its a tough lesson to learn. Its a tough way to learn it. For three quarters, we were efficient and we were good. But we werent able to bring it home in the fourth quarter." Notes: Hawks guard Kyle Korver hit a three-pointer in the first quarter, giving him 87 straight games with a three. He is two games shy of Dana Barros NBA record of 89 straight. . Celtics rookie centre Kelly Olynyk, who has started six games and is averaging 7.5 points, did not make the trip to Atlanta due to a sprained ankle. He will miss at least two weeks. ... This was Bostons second win over a team with a winning record. The Celtics beat the Heat earlier this season, also on the road. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace