Harden, Lin lead Rockets rout of Bulls

Houston Rockets’ Chandler Parsons (25) looks to pass around Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah (13) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. AP/Paul Beaty

CHICAGO – James Harden scored 26 points and Jeremy Lin added 20 points and 11 assists to spark the Houston Rockets to a 120-97 NBA victory over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.

The Rockets improved to 15-12, sixth in the Western Conference, with their fourth victory in a row, a streak that began in New York when Lin returned to beat his former Knicks teammates at Madison Square Garden earlier this month.

Asian American star Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan, came off the Knicks bench last February to ignite a win streak for the club with shooting and clutch play that touched off a global phenomenon dubbed “Lin-sanity.”

Chandler Parsons added 23 points for the Rockets, who outscored the Bulls 31-19 in the second quarter and 36-27 in the third period, pulling ahead by as much as 86-51 late in the third quarter.

Nate Robinson led the Bulls with 21 points, while Italy’s Marco Belinelli added 15 points and Britain’s Luol Deng contributed 14 for the Bulls, who fell to 15-12, falling behind Indiana (16-12) in the fight for the Central division lead.