Sixers 107, Rockets 100
PHILADELPHIA -- Jrue Holiday had 30 points and nine assists Saturday night as the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 107-100 victory over the Houston Rockets.
Thaddeus Young added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Sixers (16-22), who had also dropped 16 of their previous 21 games. Jason Richardson scored 16 points, and Evan Turner had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
James Harden notched 29 points to pace the Rockets (21-17), who lost their third straight. Chandler Parson added 21, and Omer Asik and Carlos Delfino had 16 apiece. Asik also grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Sixers, who began the night 27th in the NBA in scoring at 92.2 points per game and 22nd in field-goal percentage (43.8), shot 49.4 percent and cracked 100 points for the first time in six games, the second time in 12 and the 11th time all season.
The Sixers led by as many as 14 points in the second half and by 13 early in the fourth quarter at 89-76. But Houston cut fought back behind Delfino and Harden. Delfino started a 17-7 run with two 3-pointers -- a flurry that ended with six straight points by Harden -- to cut the gap to 96-93 with 6:11 left.
But Richardson drilled a jumper from the right baseline, Young tacked on a fast-break dunk and a tip-in, and Holiday dunked after Young's steal, pushing the lead to 104-94 with 52.5 seconds remaining.
Holiday had 13 points and Turner all 12 of his in the first half, when the Sixers shot 52.3 percent from the field while moving to a 58-50 lead. Parsons countered with 13 for the Rockets, and Harden had 12.
The Sixers then scored the first six points of the second half to go up by 14. Houston crept within four later in the third quarter at 78-74, but Holiday countered with all the Sixer points in a 7-2 run at the end of the quarter, giving Philadelphia an 85-76 lead after three.
NOTES: Harden, acquired in a preseason trade with Oklahoma City, began the night as the NBA's fourth-leading scorer at 26.4 points per game. "I think you would have to start talking about him right now as an MVP candidate," said Sixers coach Doug Collins, who has known Harden since his days at Arizona State. "I've watched James grow. ... I have to tell you when I saw him as a young player at Arizona State, to think that he is where is at this time in his career, I don't know that I would have put a lot of money on that." ... Sixers guard Jason Richardson, whom Collins elected to rest Wednesday night in Toronto, returned to the starting lineup.
