Harden scores 45 in Rockets' 127-113 win over Celtics

Posted: December 27, 2018 -- 11:45 p.m.

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- James Harden continued his streak of scoring 30 or more points Thursday night -- 8 consecutive games -- in a 127-113 Rockets' win over the Boston Celtics. Harden scored 45 points. He's scored 35 or more points in six straight games.

"It's hard to describe," Rockets Head Coach Mike D'Antoni said trying to describe Harden's scoring prowess. "He had 17 (points) the first quarter, and I left him in a little bit too long and he got tired, and in the second quarter he didn't score, and he ends up with 45. He has a mastery of the game and a control and an ease of which he plays. It’s fun to watch. If you're on this side, it's fun."

Harden made a career-high tying 9 3-pointers tonight (vs. NY on December 31, 2016).

"Like I've said before, it's the work you put in," Harden said after the game. "If you don't put the work in, you won't get the results. So those moves that I was doing tonight on the court, I was doing yesterday in practice and after practice, after everybody left. So, you take those shots, you're confident in those shots and those shots will go in, sometimes they might not go in. But, mostly they'll go in; and, so, you have to keep going and keep working."

Harden scored 17 points in the first quarter on 6 for 9 field goal shooting including 5 for 8 three-point shooting. However, Harden missed his next 10 shots; but, his teammates picked up the scoring during a 16-7 run which gave the Rockets a 44-27 lead.

During the run, Eric Gordon scored 6 points; Austin Rivers scored 5; Danuel House hit a three; and Nenê got a dunk.

"Our second unit has been doing an unbelievable job," Harden commented. "We sub in Nenê and Austin (Rivers) is giving us amazing minutes, and D-House (Danuel House Jr.). You have to keep going man. It's a 48-minute game; and, we need everyone on that roster that steps on that floor to contribute."

However, Houston's offense cooled off the final 10:41 of the second quarter and scored only 13 points. Meanwhile, Boston's offense heated up and scored 28 points to trim Houston's lead to two points (57-55) at halftime.

Boston tied the game three times in the third quarter. The game was tied at 79; but, Houston went on a 9-2 spurt to lead 88-82. Boston got as close as three (89-86) in the final seconds of the third period; however, Austin Rivers banked in a 27-foot three-point shot to beat the buzzer and give the Rockets a 92-86 lead after three quarters.

Harden scored 16 points in the final quarter (11 for 12 from the foul line); and, the Rockets led by as much as 16 points in the quarter.

Harden sat the first 3:36 of the fourth period; and, once again, Houston increased the lead with Harden on the bench. Gerald Green made two 3-pointers; Eric Gordon scored 4; and, Nenê converted a three-point play for a 13-8 spurt while Harden rested.

"We tried to get up into his airspace; and, he went on that stretch where he missed everything," said Brad Stevens, Celtics Head Coach. "And, then, we fouled him every time. In the first half, he didn't shoot a free throw; and, in the second half, he shot 17. He's a hard guy to guard. If you overreact to some of that individual or isolation, you foul. And when you foul him, it's definitely three points. We did a pretty good job of catching his eye and making it tough for about 20 minutes; but, it's more than a 20-minute game. We tried to zone late. We tried to run at him a little bit late; but, he was good."

Clint Capela had 24 points and 18 rebounds tonight. The Rockets outrebounded the Celtics 54-38.

"We have to rotate and block him (Capela) out," Brad Stevens acknowledged. And, if we don't already have a big engaged with him; but, I thought they got some timely ones from the wings. And, it was a back and forth game. They came in from the wing. They came in from the corner; and, that's what they do. They are really good at it. They are a really physical team; probably don't get enough credit for that."

Eric Gordon had 20 points tonight, marking his second time scoring 20+ over the past four games after not having more than 16 points in any of the nine games prior.

Harden is averaging 40.5 points over the past eight games.

Well, he (Harden) comes in and does extra work," said D'Antoni regarding Harden's supernova-type performances lately. "He knew he had to take his body to one more level up. He had to get into a better rhythm. He's been playing a lot of one-on-one. He's been doing a lot of extra work in the weight room. He's been putting his time in. Obviously, it's paying dividends."

P. J. Tucker added, "I think he just wanted to pick it up, take it to another level. I don't think he was playing at a level he wanted to early on; and, he has his body in such great shape. Now, being able to push through even times where he gets tired. Teams throwing double teams, different kind of looks, and his determination to still score and be able to get to his spots have been pretty remarkable. It's just what he does."

After the game, Harden was asked if he believes he should be included in NBA MVP conversation.

Houston (19-15) has won eight of its past nine games overall and improves to 8-0 at Toyota Center in December, with one game remaining vs. Memphis on New Year's Eve. Boston (20-14) has its two-game winning streak snapped and drops to 9-9 on the road this season.

NOTES:

Harden's 45 points versus the Celtics is the third-most by a Rockets against the Celtics (Hakeem Olajuwon with 51 on January 18, 1996 and Elvin Hayes with 46 on February 25, 1970).

Over the past eight games, Capela is averaging 16.0 rebounds. He had 9 offensive rebounds tonight, marking his ninth game with 8 or more this season. That is already the most by a Rocket in a single season since Larry Smith had 10 games doing so in 1990-91.

NEXT

The Rockets' next game is Saturday, December 29, on the road, against the New Orleans Pelicans. Tip is set for 6 p.m.

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