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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NBA Capsules: James Harden leads Houston Rockets past Cleveland Cavaliers with triple-double

Houston Rockets' James Harden (13) goes up for a shot as Cleveland Cavaliers' Richard Jefferson (24) and Tristan Thompson, left, defend during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 12, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP112 (David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
Associated Press

HOUSTONJames Harden had a triple-double with 38 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds to outduel LeBron James and lead the Houston Rockets to a 117-112 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

The Rockets were up by six when Nene made a layup before intercepting a bad pass by James. Patrick Beverley made a 3-pointer on the other end to push the lead to 116-107 with less than two minutes left.

Kyrie Irving hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go and added two free throws after that to get the Cavaliers within four. Harden added a free throw to end Cleveland’s run and secure the victory.

It was the 16th triple-double this season for Harden and his 31st game with at least 30 points.

James had 30 points for the Cavaliers. They lost for the fourth time in five games.

Celtics 100, Bulls 80

BOSTON– Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and later joined fans doing the wave as it circled TD Garden, and Boston handed Chicago its fifth straight loss.

The Celtics rushed to a 13-0 lead, shutting out Chicago until Dwyane Wade’s jumper nearly six minutes into the game.

Thomas, the team’s leading scorer at 29.2 points per game, played only 24 minutes and sat the entire final quarter. He had some fun with the fans in the closing minutes of the blowout, taking part with teammate Jae Crowder in the crowd’s cheer.

Avery Bradley had 17 points. Robin Lopez and Denzel Valentine led the Bulls with 13 points apiece.

Nets 120, Knicks 112

NEW YORK– Jeremy Lin ended an 0-for-9 start with a 3-pointer that halted a Knicks comeback, and Brooklyn beat New York for its first home victory of 2017.

The Nets ended a 16-game losing streak at Barclays Center. They hadn’t won here since Dec. 26, when Lin strained his hamstring in a victory over Charlotte.

Brook Lopez had 25 points for the Nets. Carmelo Anthony had 27 for the Knicks.

Trail Blazers 110, Suns 101

PHOENIX – Damian Lillard scored 28 of his 39 points in the first half and Portland recovered to beat Phoenix after blowing an 18-point second-half lead.

Lillard scored just four points in the fourth quarter, but fellow guard C.J. McCollum added 26. Portland pulled within 1 1/2 games of Denver for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Devin Booker led the Suns with 28 points, and Eric Bledsoe added 19.

76ers 118, Lakers 116

LOS ANGELES– Rookie Dario Saric scored a career-high 29 points, and Jahlil Okafor added 23 to help Philadelphia beat Los Angeles.

The Lakers, who got a career-best 30 points from Jordan Clarkson, rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half to take a lead late in the fourth quarter. But T.J. McConnell’s 12-foot fallaway jumper with 50 seconds left gave the 76ers the lead for good.

Pacers 102, Heat 98

INDIANAPOLIS– Paul George had 28 points and 10 rebounds in Indiana’s victory over Miami.

Myles Turner added 15 points for Indiana, and Jeff Teague had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with 26 points and 21 rebounds.