Rockets drain record 24 3s in win over Pelicans
Houston Rockets’ James Harden (13) is fouled as he goes up for a shot between New Orleans Pelicans’ Alexis Ajinca (42) and Cheick Diallo (13) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 16, 2016, in Houston. The Rockets won 122-100. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
James Harden delivered his second straight triple double as the Houston Rockets made an NBA record 24 three pointers in a 122-100 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The Rockets continued their record-setting ways this season, setting the single game mark for threes made and attempted (64).
Eric Gordon scored a season-high 29 points as the Rockets improved to 20-7 and extended their winning streak to nine games.
“I think it’ll happen again for sure,” Gordon said. “A lot of teams like to load up trying to not let us get layups and it forces us to shoot threes. It’s like, ‘Why not?’ I think we’ll have that chance again.”
Houston finished one three pointer shy of matching the old record of 23, which they shared with the Golden State Warriors, on Wednesday night in their 34-point win over the Sacramento Kings.
Houston had held the mark for three-pointers attempted (50), which they set in Sacramento on November 25.
Harden finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to set a franchise record with his 15th triple-double.
Gordon shot 10 for 17 in 27 minutes off the bench, while forward Trevor Ariza finished with 20 points on five-for-14 three-point shooting.
Forward Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 19 points despite playing just 22 minutes. Davis left in the third quarter with a left lower-leg contusion.
Former Rockets forward Terrence Jones came off the bench to score 16 points and eight rebounds for New Orleans, which has lost six of seven games against Houston.
“He just got kicked, and the game wasn’t in a position where I thought that it was worth the risk to put him back out there,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said of Davis. “And we just weren’t going to do it.”
