HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden had 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds for his second straight triple-double, and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed New York Knicks 129-122 on Saturday night.
Harden set career highs for points and 3-pointers with nine, and matched his career best for assists. He passed his previous career best of 51 points on a 3 with 1:16 left, leading to a standing ovation.
The Knicks got within three several times in the fourth quarter, with the last time coming on a layup by Joakim Noah with about four minutes left. Harden responded to Noah’s basket with three free throws before dishing to Ryan Anderson for a 3-pointer that made it 119-111.
Another 3 by Anderson with less than two minutes left extended the lead to 124-113.