Houston Rockets’ James Harden (13) pushes past Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins (22) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, in Houston. Harden posted a triple double with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Rockets won 113-102. AP
HOUSTON — James Harden had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double this season, leading the Houston Rockets to a 113-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.
Harden got off to a slow start, missing his first seven shots. He got going late in the first quarter, had 13 points at halftime and was a rebound away from wrapping up his fourth career triple-double entering the fourth.
Houston led by nine at the start of the final period, but Andrew Wiggins led a charge that cut the lead to one point with less than 4 minutes left.
The Rockets took over after that, using a 14-2 run, with five points from Harden, to make it 111-98 with less than a minute to go.
Wiggins scored 30 for the Timberwolves, who lost for the third time in four games.
HEAT 119, 76ERS 108
MIAMI — Luol Deng made 11 of 14 shots and scored 29 points, and Goran Dragic added 23 points and 10 assists as Miami set a season high for scoring.
Dwyane Wade scored 18 for the Heat, who stayed in the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. Hassan Whiteside added 12 points and 14 rebounds for Miami, which shot 55 percent.
Hollis Thompson scored 22 points for Philadelphia, which got 18 from Nerlens Noel, 16 from Robert Covington, 12 from Henry Sims and 11 from Isaiah Canaan.
It was a good-news day all around for Miami. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game that Chris Bosh — who has blood clots on a lung, a season-ending issue — will be going home “soon” from a hospital where he’s been treated since late last week.
BULLS 87, BUCKS 71
CHICAGO — Tony Snell scored 20 points, and Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and a career-high 14 rebounds as surging Chicago pounded Milwaukee on the boards.
Pau Gasol added 15 points and 10 rebounds as the Bulls enjoyed a whopping 62-41 advantage on the glass. Joakim Noah had eight points and 16 rebounds on his bobblehead night, and Jimmy Butler finished with 11 points and nine boards.
Milwaukee shot 34 percent (30 for 89) from the field in its second straight loss after a stretch of nine wins in 10 games. Ersan Ilyasova had 15 points and 11 rebounds in his first start since Jan. 27 at Miami.
Chicago played without key reserves Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich, who were away from the team due to an illness.
PELICANS 100, RAPTORS 97
NEW ORLEANS — Alexis Ajinca capped a 16-point performance with a go-ahead layup in the final minute as New Orleans erased an 18-point deficit to beat Toronto.
Luke Babbitt scored a season-high 18 for New Orleans, including a clutch 3-pointer that gave the Pelicans their first lead of the game with 1:55 to go.
The clutch outings by the two reserves helped New Orleans overcome the absence of All-Star Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson, who were both injured Saturday night in Miami.
Newly acquired Norris Cole scored 15 for New Orleans. Omer Asik added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Tyreke Evans had 13 points and 12 assists.
Kyle Lowry scored 22 for Toronto, which lost its second straight. Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
JAZZ 90, SPURS 81
SALT LAKE CITY — Trey Burke scored 23 points as Utah handed San Antonio its third straight loss since returning from the All-Star break.
The Jazz used an energetic defensive effort to turn a season-high 22 Spurs turnovers into 17 points. Forward Gordon Hayward scored 18 despite a poor-shooting night, while Derrick Favors added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert set the defensive tone early with two first-quarter blocks of Tim Duncan and finished with seven points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. The Jazz have held their last five opponents under 100 points.
Duncan had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Boris Diaw chipped in 13 points and Cory Joseph had 10.
CELTICS 115, SUNS 110
PHOENIX — Avery Bradley scored 23 points, Isaiah Thomas burned his former team with eight critical points in the last two minutes as Boston held off Phoenix.
Boston made a season-high 14 3-pointers, 10 in the first half as the Celtics ran out to a 19-point league against the struggling Suns. But Phoenix cut the lead to one on a 3 from Eric Bledsoe with 2:33 remaining.
Thomas, just four days removed from his deadline-day trade to Boston, scored 21 points in his return.
Bledsoe had 21 points and 10 assists in the Suns’ eighth loss in the past nine games. Brandon Knight, acquired in another Suns deal last Thursday, had 20 in his first start for his new team.
NETS 110, NUGGETS 82
DENVER — Brook Lopez led seven Nets players in double figures with 19 points as Brooklyn won its second consecutive road game.
Deron Williams added 16 points and 12 assists, and Thaddeus Young scored 15 in another solid outing for the Nets since his acquisition last week from Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Garnett. Brooklyn, coming off a 114-105 win at the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday, won back-to-back road games for the first time since mid-January.
Danilo Gallinari had 22 points for the struggling Nuggets, who have lost 16 of 18 — including seven in a row at home. It matches their longest losing streak at the Pepsi Center since also dropping seven straight from Feb. 6 to March 2, 2003.