NBA roundup: James Harden powers Rockets past Raptors for 8th straight win

James Harden had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 10th triple-double of the season, and the Houston Rockets beat the host Toronto Raptors 129-122 on Sunday night for their eighth straight victory.

Harden also had 10 turnovers. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Harden is the first player with a 40-point triple-double and 10 or more turnovers since turnovers became official in the 1977-78 season.

Montrezl Harrell added 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting in 25 minutes, and fellow reserve Eric Gordon had 19 points to help Houston win consecutive road games over the Raptors for the first time.

DeMar DeRozan had 36 points for the Raptors, setting a career high with his 18th 30-plus-point game of the season. DeMarre Carroll tied a career high with 26 points and set a career high with six 3-pointers on 10 attempts.

Down 99-95 entering the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 15-0 run to take an 11-point lead. DeRozan’s run of 12 consecutive points for the Raptors cut into that advantage, but Toronto could get no closer than five points.

Cleveland 120, Phoenix 116: LeBron James scored 12 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Cavaliers fought off the Suns down the stretch in Phoenix.

Kyrie Irving added 27 points and Kevin Love 25 for the Cavaliers. They led by as many as 22 in the first half and 20 early in the third quarter. The Suns tied it late in the third and got within one in the fourth but never took the lead.

Eric Bledsoe scored 31 points and Devin Booker had 28 for the Suns.

James sank consecutive 3-pointers, his only 3s of the game, to give Cleveland a 115-109 lead with 2:46 to play and scored on a driving layup with 44 seconds left to make it 120-114.

Detroit 125, Portland 124 (2OT): Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3-pointer with 9.4 seconds left and the Pistons outlasted the Trail Blazers in Portland, Oregon, in a game postponed a day because of a winter storm.

Reggie Jackson led Detroit with 31 points, Andre Drummond had 28 points and 14 rebounds, and Caldwell-Pope finished with 26. The Pistons have won two straight for the first time since Dec. 2.

CJ McCollum had 35 points for Portland in the game with 14 lead changes and 11 ties. He has scored 20 points or more in seven straight games and is averaging 33.8 points in the last five.

Allen Crabbe added a career-high 30 points, and Damian Lillard had 20.

Golden State 117, Sacramento 106: Stephen Curry made five 3-pointers and scored 30 points and the Warriors took their first lead midway through the third quarter on the way to the victory over the Kings, in Sacramento, California.

Kevin Durant had 28 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks, and Klay Thompson added 18 points. With their 17th straight victory after a loss, the Warriors reached 124 straight regular-season games without suffering back-to-back defeats.

Sacramento’s Rudy Gay scored 15 of his 23 points in the first quarter.

L.A. Clippers 98, Miami 86: J.J. Redick scored 25 points and the Clippers beat the Heat in Los Angeles for their fourth straight victory.

Chris Paul had 19 points, 18 assists and one turnover, and DeAndre Jordan added 18 rebounds to help keep the Clippers unbeaten in the new year after they closed 2016 on a six-game skid.

Goran Dragic scored 24 points, and Hassan Whiteside had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Miami. The Heat shot 37 percent and had three technical fouls.

The Clippers broke it open with a 43-21 run that spanned the second and third quarters. Redick scored 14 points and Paul added 12 as they stretched the lead from one point to 23 points. Redick hit three 3-pointers and Paul added another.

Philadelphia 105, Brooklyn 95: Joel Embiid scored 20 points and the 76ers reached 10 victories to match their total from all last season, beating the Nets in New York.

The 76ers broke it open with a 17-2 surge in the fourth quarter to win the matchup between the NBA’s two worst teams and improve to 10-25 in their first season with former lottery picks Embiid and Dario Saric. They were 10-72 in 2015-16, just off their own record for worst finish in the 82-game schedule.

Embiid did his damage without even reaching the 28-minute restriction he was limited to as he recovers from a series of foot injuries that delayed his NBA debut for two years.

Brook Lopez scored 26 points For the Nets. They have lost six in a row to fall to 8-28.

L.A. Lakers 111, Orlando 95: Julius Randle scored 19 points and rookie Brandon Ingram matched his career high with 17 in the Lakers’ victory over the Magic in Los Angeles.

It was the first time in their last 30 games the Lakers put together consecutive victories.

D’Angelo Russell also scored 17 points for the Lakers, and center Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and nine rebounds. Serge Ibaka, Evan Founier and Nikola Vucevic each scored 19 points for Orlando.

Washignton 107, Milwaukee 101: Bradley Beal scored 26 points, and Markieff Morris added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Wizards beat the Bucks in Milwaukee.

Jabari Parker led Milwaukee with 28 points. Malcolm Brogdon added career-high 22 points, and Michael Beasley scored 18 points in 16 minutes. Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was ill and didn’t play.

Memphis 88, Utah 79: Mike Conley had 19 points and nine assists, and Marc Gasol scored 17 points in the Grizzlies’ victory over the Jazz in Memphis, Tennessee.

Zach Randolph added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 22 points, and George Hill added 15 points.