In brief: James Harden paces Rockets to 3-0 lead over Mavs

NBA: James Harden scored a playoff career-high 42 points, Dwight Howard had his postseason best with 26 rebounds and the visiting Houston Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 130-128 on Friday night for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.

The MVP candidate played a dominating role after deferring to Howard and role players in the first two wins, putting the Rockets on the verge of their first playoff series victory since Howard joined Harden two years ago.

The high-scoring game was Dallas’ first without effectively banished point guard Rajon Rondo, and Monta Ellis had a playoff career-high 34 points to match Dirk Nowitzki.

But Ellis missed a potential tying jumper just before the buzzer, leaving Dallas to face a fourth straight year without winning a postseason series since taking the franchise’s first championship.

• Wiz dump Raptors for 3-0 series lead: John Wall drew choruses of “M-V-P!” from the crowd by producing 19 points and 15 assists, 37-year-old Paul Pierce hit two key late 3-pointers, and the Washington Wizards closed in on a first-round playoff sweep by beating the visiting Toronto Raptors 106-99.

Six Wizards scored in double figures, including Marcin Gortat, who had 24 points and 13 rebounds. Pierce’s 18 points were highlighted by one 3 that capped a 10-2 run with 2 minutes left, and another with 16.3 seconds remaining after Toronto got within three points.

The Wizards lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series 3-0 and host Game 4 Sunday.

No team has overcome a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA postseason series.

• Leonard leads Spurs over Clippers: Kawhi Leonard had a postseason career-high 32 points and the San Antonio Spurs never trailed in dominating the visiting Los Angeles Clippers 100-73 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round series.

The Clippers scored a franchise postseason low and their 11 points in the third were their fewest in any quarter this season.

Boris Diaw had 15 points and Danny Green added 11 for San Antonio, which led by as many as 37 points after two tense games in Los Angeles.

Tim Duncan was held to four points on 2-for-6 shooting but his production wasn’t needed with Leonard displaying his offensive game a day after being named Defensive Player of the Year.

Game 4 is Sunday in San Antonio.

Sens stay alive, beat Canadiens

NHL: Craig Anderson made 45 saves and the visiting Ottawa Senators avoided elimination with a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Montreal leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game 6 is Sunday night in Ottawa.

Bobby Ryan, Patrick Wiercioch, Erik Karlsson, Erik Condra and Mike Hoffman scored for Ottawa.

Tom Gilbert had the lone goal for Montreal, and Carey Price stopped 20 shots.

The Senators went 2 for 4 on the power play. The Canadiens were 0 for 3.

• Rangers advance on Hagelin’s OT goal: The New York Rangers used Carl Hagelin’s overtime goal and spectacular goaltending by Henrik Lundqvist for a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh to advance in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Hagelin skated out from behind the net and put a wrist shot on the short side behind Marc-Andre Fleury for the winner.

The Rangers, who got all four wins in the series by the same score, will play the winner of the Washington-New York Islanders series, which the Capitals lead 3-2.

Lundqvist made 37 saves in Game 5, including a nifty stop on Brandon Sutter in overtime.

• Wild beat Blues, take 3-2 series lead: Devan Dubnyk had a strong bounce-back effort in goal and the visiting Minnesota Wild beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference first-round series.

After allowing six goals in two periods in a 6-1 loss in Game 4, Dubnyk made 36 saves in Game 5.

The Wild scored three straight goals after Vladimir Tarasenko gave St. Louis the early edge with his playoff-leading sixth goal.

Nino Niederreiter scored the go-ahead goal in the second period. The Wild can wrap up the series at home in Game 6 on Sunday.

The Central Division champion Blues will be trying to avoid their third straight first-round elimination.

Swafford, Weekley lead Zurich

Golf: Hudson Swafford shot a 6-under 66 for a share of the Zurich Classic lead with Boo Weekley when second-round play was suspended because of the threat of severe weather.

Swafford had an 11-under 133 total at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. Weekley, the first-round leader after a 64, also was 11 under with three holes left.

Jason Day, ranked sixth in the world, was 5 under for the round through 14 holes, pulling him into a five-way tie for third at 10 under with Brandon de Jonge, Cameron Tringale, former Zurich champion Jerry Kelly and Daniel Berger.

Spokane’s Alex Prugh was at 3 under for the tournament through 16 holes when play was suspended.

• Cook, Sindelar top Legends of Golf: Former Ohio State teammates John Cook and Joey Sindelar shot a 10-under 60 in better-ball play to take the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Missouri.

Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle had the best score at the par-3 Top of the Rock course, a 7-under 47 for nine holes of modified alternate shot and nine holes of better ball.

Larry Nelson and Larry Fleisher led the Legends Division for players 65 and older, shooting a 47 on the par-3 course.

Oregon wins at Penn Relays

Track and Field: Edward Cheserek led Oregon to its second straight distance medley relay championship at the Penn Relays, holding off Villanova’s Jordan Williamsz by five-tenths of a second at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Cheserek ran the closing mile leg in 3 minutes, 59.44 seconds. He teamed with Johnny Gregorek, Marcus Chambers and Niki Franzmair to give Oregon its third overall DMR victory at the Penn Relays.

The Ducks are the first team to win in consecutive years since Texas won three straight from 2006-08.

• Kirani James shatters Drake record in 400: Kirani James shattered Michael Johnson’s 400-meter Drake Relays record, finishing in 44.22 seconds in Des Moines, Iowa.

Aleec Harris stunned the 110-hurdle field, winning in 13.16. Bershawn Jackson won the 400 hurdles in 48.87, while Ajee Wilson won the women’s 800 in 2:00.03.

Johnson ran 44.41 in the 1996.