NBA: Calderon sparks Raptors over Rockets

Toronto Raptors’ Jose Calderon signals a play during first-half NBA basketball game action against the Houston Rockets in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012. AP/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim

TORONTO, Canada – Spanish guard Jose Calderon scored 18 points, passed off 14 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to power the struggling Toronto Raptors over the visiting Houston Rockets 103-96 in an NBA game Sunday.

The Canadian club improved to 6-19 with its second triumph in a row after having lost six games in a row while the Rockets lost for the fourth time in their past six starts, falling to 11-12.

Reserve Alan Anderson led Toronto with 24 points while DeMar DeRozan scored 19 points and added seven rebounds for the Raptors.

James Harden scored a game-high 28 points for Houston while Marcus Morris added 19 points and Chandler Parson scored 12 points. Omer Asik grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Rockets.

Asian-American star Jeremy Lin scored seven points on 3-of-9 shooting with one rebound and two assists for the Rockets on the eve of his return to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks on Monday night.

Lin emerged from the Knicks’ bench last February to become a sensation in New York, sparking the club to a win streak despite having stars Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire injured.

The Knicks chose not to match a free agent offer to Lin from the Rockets in the off-season and Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan and who also has a grandmother from China, departed for Houston.

Monday’s game will be Lin’s first in New York since leaving the Knicks.