• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Harden goes for 41 as Rockets outlast Blazers in OT

Mar 10, 2014 - 5:04 AM Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden scored 20 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Houston Rockets to a 118-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

Houston trailed by as many as 13 in the fourth before surging back and stunning the Blazers in overtime.

Jeremy Lin also did most of his damage in crunch time, scoring 15 of his 26 points in the final 17 minutes of the game to help the Rockets to their eighth consecutive win at the Honda Center and fifth straight win overall.

Dwight Howard contributed a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverley tallied 16 and 12 points, respectively, in the win.

"When you win games like this, it gives you the feeling that if you keep grinding and keep fighting, you can make things happen," said Rockets coach Kevin McHale. "It gives you a confidence and an ability to stick to what you do and play hard."

LaMarcus Aldridge had a team-high 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds to lead Portland, which has dropped three of its last four contests. Wesley Matthews netted 26 points and Damian Lillard deposited 21 points before fouling out in the extra session.

Portland led 96-83 after a C.J. McCollum layup with 7 1/2 minutes left in the fourth before Houston made its run.

Harden scored eight points during a 14-2 surge that trimmed the deficit to one, 98-97. Houston trailed by two when Harden found Lin, who buried a 3 to give the Rockets their first lead of the game, 102-101, with just under 1 1/2 minutes left in the fourth.

Lillard answered at the other end with a layup and both teams followed with empty possessions inside the final minute. Harden brought the ball up and was immediately met at the top of the key by Matthews, who plucked the swingman and raced down the floor before being fouled by Lin.

Matthews converted both free throws to make it a three-point game with 19.1 seconds left in regulation. Lin then split a pair at the line and Matthews could have put the game away, but missed his second free throw to keep it a one-possession game.

Coming out of a timeout, Harden nailed a triple from the far corner to tie the game at 106-106 and send it to an extra session.

In overtime, Aldridge knocked down a jumper to give the Blazers a 113-110 lead with just over two minutes left. Harden hit another 3 on the subsequent possession to tie the game, and Lin's fadeaway with at 1:21 would put the Rockets up for good.

Houston made 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

"Of course there are a lot of angry faces because we should've had that game," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "We were definitely in position to win it."

Earlier, Portland led 30-28 after one quarter and brought a 54-47 lead at the halftime break.

Portland stretched its lead to a game-high 16, 77-61, following a Robin Lopez hook shot at the midway point of the third. The Rockets closed to within 10 after a 3 from Harden, and C.J. McCollum hit a jumper for an 85-73 Blazers lead after three.

Game Notes

Beverley fouled out early in the overtime ... Harden also grabbed 10 rebounds in the win to go along with six steals and six assists, joining Michael Jordan as the only two players in NBA history with 41, 10, six, and six ... Harden also tied a career-high with seven 3-pointers ... Lopez finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Mo Williams added 10 points off the bench in the setback ... Portland outrebounded Houston, 56-48 ... The Rockets scored 32 points off of 21 Portland turnovers.