Harden's OT heroics wear down Warriors

James Harden notched his fourth triple-double of the season with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists on Thursday night as the Houston Rockets outlasted the Warriors 132-127 in double overtime to end Golden State's 12-game winning streak.

Harden put the Rockets ahead on a 30-footer with 3:12 left in the second OT and sank a pair of free throws with 2:10 to go following a flagrant foul on Draymond Green.

Eric Gordon followed Harden's free throws with a floating jumper and scored 23 off the bench as Houston snapped an eight-game skid to the Warriors, who lost MVP Stephen Curry with 3:25 left in the last extra session when he was whistled for a charge.

Ryan Anderson also scored 29 with five 3-pointers and the teams combined to shoot 88 3s, 44 apiece.

Kevin Durant matched his season high with 39 points to go with 13 rebounds for the Warriors.

Green had 20 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.

Curry scored his team's first six points in the initial overtime and finished with 28 points and five assists.

With Houston playing a tight zone and shutting down the lanes, the Warriors couldn't hit the big shots the way they usually do. Klay Thompson was 4 for 20, 3 of 13 on 3s, on the way to 15 points.

The Rockets snapped Golden State's seven-game home winning streak in an entertaining rematch of the first round of the playoffs, won in five games by the Warriors, who also beat the Rockets in a five-game 2015 Western Conference finals on the way to their first championship in 40 years.

The Warriors hadn't lost in Oracle Arena since a 129-100 season-opening rout by San Antonio on Oct 25 - and Golden State has only lost two regular-season games at home in each of the past two seasons.

Harden finished 8 for 23, 2 of 11 on 3s and 11 for 14 from the free throw line.

"If you send James to the line 15-18 times you probably deserve to lose," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

(China Daily 12/03/2016 page12)