LOS ANGELES: James Harden scored 44 points and had eight rebounds as the Houston Rockets beat the Indiana Pacers 111-102 on Friday night to stretch their winning streak to six games.
Harden scored 40-plus points for the fourth time in six games. When he needed a rest in the third quarter, Ben McLemore picked up the slack, scoring 10 of his season-high 21 points in the third. In the late game, Anthony Davis made a clutch defensive play at the buzzer just moments after LeBron James hit the go-ahead free throws as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 99-97. Harden scored 12 straight points in the fourth to give Houston a double-digit lead at one point. He also tallied five assists and four steals.
Houston played without Clint Capela (concussion), Eric Gordon (right knee surgery) and Danuel House Jr. (sore back). Russell Westbrook had 17 points but shot just five of 21 from the floor for the Rockets.