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Rockets continue quest for division title in Charlotte

Apr 13, 2015 - 1:56 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Houston Rockets are still jockeying for position in the Western Conference playoff race and will visit the Charlotte Hornets Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Rockets are currently even with Memphis for fifth in the conference standings - one-half game behind San Antonio - and posted a 121-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.

James Harden poured in 30 points, while Dwight Howard totaled 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who are a half-game behind the Spurs for the Southwest Division lead. Houston can pull even with a win in Charlotte on Monday, but the Spurs hold the tiebreaker.

Corey Brewer added 20 points off the bench in the win.

"We found our rhythm offensively (in the second half)," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. "We took care of the ball and found a way to get a win."

Houston will close the regular season Wednesday versus the Utah Jazz and has won 11 of its last 15 games.

The Hornets have played themselves out of the Eastern Conference playoff race and are mired in a four-game slide.

In a 116-77 setback at Detroit on Sunday, Noah Vonleh's first career double- double was the lone bright spot for an otherwise poor performance by the Hornets. The rookie from Indiana finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds in under 29 minutes.

"We've got to put more into the games. With the injuries, we're a little bit out-manned. Instead of putting more into it, we got guys putting less into it," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

Gerald Henderson and Brian Roberts scored 14 and 11 points, respectively, in a losing cause.

Charlotte will wrap up the season Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.

The Hornets dropped a 102-83 decision at Houston on Dec. 31, as Harden netted 36 points and Henderson countered with 16. The Rockets have won eight in a row in this series and three straight in Charlotte.