Harden leads Rockets past T-Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS—James Harden scored 49 points on a whopping 41 shots from the field, and the undermanned Houston Rockets won their seventh straight game, 125-105, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.

With Russell Westbrook resting, the Rockets needed Harden to shoulder an even bigger scoring load than usual. The 41 attempts are the most in his career, and the most in the NBA this season, surpassing the 37 Golden State’s D’Angelo Russell took in an overtime loss Nov. 8 in the same building in Minnesota.

Harden made 16 of those 41 shots, going 8-for-22 from three-point range. He was 9-of-11 on free throws.

Ben McLemore scored 20 points. Undrafted rookie Chris Clemons scored a career-high 19 for- the Rockets, who broke open the game with a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter. Austin Rivers also had 19 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

In other games, it was Portland 121, San Antonio 116; LA Clippers 150, Atlanta 101; Milwaukee 102, Indiana 83; Dallas 110, Toronto 102; Miami 109, New Orleans 94; Brooklyn 117, Chicago 111 and Charlotee 103, New York 102.

In Los Angeles, Paul George scored 37 points in his Clippers home debut, Lou Williams added 25, and Los Angeles led all the way in routing Atlanta.

The anticipated first game with George and Kawhi Leonard in the lineup together didn’t happen when Leonard sat out with a left knee contusion. But the Clippers didn’t need both of their new superstars on a night when George tied his career high with six three-pointers.—AP