James Harden stays hot in Chris Paul's return, leads Rockets in late rally past Magic
Chris Paul suited up for the Rockets for the first time in 17 games Sunday, but Houston still belongs to James Harden.
The Rockets were on track for a bad loss at home to the Orlando Magic, trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half. But Harden ensured Paul’s return was a happy one, leading a late rally with clutch shots down the stretch to tally 40 points in a 103-98 win.
Paul productive in limited minutes
Meanwhile, Paul eased back in, posting 12 points, six assists and five rebounds in 25 minutes in his first action since suffering a strained hamstring on Dec. 20.
Harden hits big shots down the stretch
Harden scored seven straight Rockets points in a critical stretch in the game’s final 2:12 that ultimately put away an Orlando team that led the entire game until late in the fourth quarter.
His jumper gave the Rockets a 95-93 lead, and when Terrence Ross countered to tie the game on the other end, Harden responded with a 3-pointer retake the lead 98-95 at the 1:15 mark. With 30.5 seconds left, his step-back jumper gave Houston a 100-95 advantage that put the game out of reach for the Magic.
Harden added 11 rebounds and six assists to his tally while keeping up his streak of 30-point games that has now extended to 23 straight. It was also his eighth game with at least 40 points in January.
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