Harden, Rockets end Raptors’ home win streak
Houston Rockets’ James Harden, right, is guarded by Toronto Raptors’ James Johnson during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Sunday, March 6, 2016. AP/The Canadian Press
TORONTO — James Harden had 40 points and 14 assists, and the Houston Rockets beat Toronto 113-107 on Sunday night to end the Raptors’ franchise-record, 12-game home winning streak.
The Raptors lost at home for the first time since Jan. 3 against the Chicago Bulls.
The Rockets also snapped their eight-game losing streak north of the border, winning in Toronto for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
Corey Brewer had 23 points off the bench for the Rockets, who trailed by as many as 18 points in the second quarter. Dwight Howard added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Luis Scola led the Raptors with 21 points, while DeMar DeRozan had 19.
Trevor Ariza’s 3-pointer with 4:43 remaining gave the Rockets their first lead since midway through the first quarter. Houston built on that advantage with an alley-oop dunk from Howard, before Patrick Patterson tied it at 102 with a 3-pointer with 3:38 to play.
Howard fouled out with 2:08 left and DeRozan made one free throw to put the Raptors back on top. But Harden, who had 20 points in the quarter, scored the next five points on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to put Houston up by four points with 1:18 remaining.
A flagrant foul by DeRozan on Patrick Beverley with 1:02 to go saw the Houston point guard shoot one of two from the free-throw line to increase the lead to five, before Clint Capela’s dunk took the game beyond Toronto’s reach.
With Toronto’s normally explosive backcourt starting slowly — DeRozan and Kyle Lowry had just one point between them — it was left to Toronto’s forwards to lead the Raptors out of an early six-point hole. Scola had 11 to go with eight from James Johnson, as the Raptors overcame Howard’s 10-point effort to jump out to a 30-26 lead after one quarter.
Lowry got going in the second quarter with 10 points, and the bench chipped in with 12, as the Raptors led by as much as 18 at one point before taking a 61-51 lead into the half.
Harden sparked the Rockets in the third, with his 10 points helping close the deficit to six points, but DeRozan had 12 of his own to give the Raptors an 85-77 lead heading into the final quarter.
TIP-INS
Rockets: Harden’s average of 29 points in his five career games in Toronto is his highest in any opposing venue. . After going 23-7 against Eastern Conference teams in 2014-15, Houston is just 9-13 against East teams this season. . Houston is now 7-8 in the second game of back-to-back games this season, with the team playing a league-high 20 such games.
Raptors: Coach Dwane Casey received his Eastern Conference coach of the month award for January before the game during an on-court presentation. . With his season-high 38 points in Friday’s win over Portland, DeRozan joined Harden and Golden State’s Stephen Curry, as the only players from the 2009 NBA draft class to reach 9,000 career points.
UP NEXT
Rockets: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Raptors: Host Brooklyn on Tuesday.
