Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives against the Charlotte Hornets in the second half of an NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/George Bridges)
James Harden bagged his 11th triple double of the season to lead the Houston Rockets to a 121-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
Harden, one of several players excelling in a high-scoring season across the league, finished with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as Houston improved to 31-9.
The Rockets talisman also came to Houston’s rescue after Charlotte staged a dramatic fourth quarter fightback to take a shock lead.
Houston appeared to be cruising to victory after Corey Brewer’s three-pointer gave them a 108-90 lead with around eight minutes left.
But Charlotte responded with a 21-2 rally which featured four consecutive three-pointers as the Hornets edged into a 111-110 advantage with just over two minutes to go.
Harden steadied the ship however with an assist for Ryan Anderson’s three-pointer before adding two layups to settle Houston’s nerves.
Brewer finished with 15 points from the bench while forward Trevor Ariza scored 16 points. Montrezl Harrell posted 14 points with Anderson 13.
Kemba Walker led the scoring for the Hornets with 25 points while Frank Kaminsky made 22. Kaminsky was part of a high-scoring Charlotte bench, Spencer Hawes scoring 16 points and Marco Belinelli 15.