G James Harden parlayed a torrid shooting stretch in the third quarter into his league-leading 49th double-double as the Houston Rockets topped the Memphis Grizzlies 123-108 on Saturday night at Toyota Center to gain a split of the season series.Harden scored 20 of his game-high 33 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field in the third quarter, including 15 consecutive points for the Rockets (44-19), who stretched a two-point lead to their first double-digit advantage at 72-62 on a Harden dunk with 6:06 left.It wasn't until Harden caught fire that the Rockets gained separation, yet Harden didn't view his explosion as anything extraordinary."Score the basketball and be aggressive," Harden said matter-of-factly when asked what inspired his surge. "That's what I've been doing."Harden added 11 assists and Rockets center Clint Capela paired a career-high 24 points with 11 rebounds to stamp his workmanlike performance.Harden produced his 20th 30-point, 10-assist game this season. Harden had 21 such games in his career before 2016-17.

G James Harden scored 26 points, and the Rockets buried the Clippers 122-103 Wednesday. Harden, who also had nine assists, hit 4 of 9 3-point attempts and made 7 of 15 shots from the floor.

G James Harden added 25 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists for his 38th points-assists double-double.

G James Harden paced a balanced scoring attack that featured eight double-digit scorers as the Houston Rockets set an NBA record for 3-pointers while outgunning the Minnesota Timberwolves 142-130 on Saturday night at Toyota Center.Harden paired 24 points with 10 assists as the Rockets (42-18) finished 22 of 58 from behind the arc. It marked their eighth game this season with at least 20 3-pointers, breaking the mark set by the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16. Harden shot 5 of 11 on treys.

G James Harden produced his 15th triple-double on the season, one more than the previous career franchise mark, with 38 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.

G James Harden produced his league-leading ninth 40-point game and the Rockets turned an offensive surge from the opening tip into a 133-102 dismantling of the Suns on Saturday night at Toyota Center.Despite suffering an ankle injury that delayed his return in the second quarter, Harden delivered 40 points, six rebounds and eight assists in 29 minutes.

G James Harden fell just short of his 15th triple-double of the season with 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists at Charlotte on Thursday. He was just 3 of 12 from the field in the first half, but he scored 10 points in the third quarter when the Rockets took control and finished 8 of 21 with four 3-pointers. Harden also committed nine turnovers.

G James Harden recorded his 43rd double-double Tuesday in the Rockets' win over the Magic. Harden paired 25 points with 13 assists.

G James Harden scored six of his 42 points in overtime, including the deciding free throws in the final 36 seconds, as the Rockets outlasted the Chicago 121-117 on Friday night at the Toyota Center. Harden then converted one of two free throws to push the Rockets back in front at 116-115 and after a Chicago score answered by making a contested jumper on which he was fouled. He hit the free throw as well and -- after Chicago missed on its offensive end -- nailed two more from the line to give Houston a 121-117 advantage with 16.1 seconds to play. "Our offense went on a little drought and we just relied on our defense," Harden said. "Our defense won us that game. We can't make 50 threes every night like we want to, but we have to find other ways to win. Tonight was one of those wins." Harden also had 12 rebounds and nine assists.

G James Harden scored 18 of his game-high 41 points in the third quarter, including 12 consecutively over the opening two minutes of the period. However, the Rockets collapsed in a loss to the Hawks. He added eight assists and eight rebounds.Harden ended January as the No. 5 scorer in the NBA, averaging 28.3 points, but only 12th in field-goal attempts per game at 18.6. Houston coach Mike D'Antoni acknowledged that Harden is still learning to strike the right balance between shooting and getting teammates involved in his first season as the point guard. He expects Harden to become more assertive within the offense by the playoffs.

G James Harden compiled 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists over 31 minutes Tuesday in the Rockets' rout of the Kings.

G James Harden shot 3 of 17 and was held below 20 points for the seventh time. He finished with 15 points and was 2 of 10 from 3-point range.

G James Harden collected 51 points, 13 assists and 13 rebounds in the Rockets' 123-118 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.Afterward he said he "just tried to be aggressive" and be in "attack mode."He also felt the need to pick things up after going 6-of-18 from the floor, and 2-of-11 from 3-point range, while nonetheless scoring 30 points in the Rockets' loss in Boston on Wednesday night."I had to get back in the gym yesterday and put extra shots up and get my confidence up a little bit," he said.He went 16-of-28 from the floor, 6-of-11 from the arc and 13-of-14 from the foul line against the Sixers.Harden has had more than his share of big nights this season. On Dec. 31, he matched Wilt Chamberlain for the most points in a triple-double when he scored a career-high 53 against the New York Knicks, adding 17 assists and 16 rebounds.On Friday night, he recorded his 14th triple-double of the season. It was also the 18th time he has accumulated over 30 points and 10 assists. The latter is the highest single-season total since such numbers were first tracked in 1983-84, according to basketball-reference.com."You saw an NBA All-Star," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "You saw a gold medalist. You saw a legitimate candidate for MVP."

G James Harden scored 30 points, but he struggled all night, even with the Celtics missing Avery Bradley to guard him. Jae Crowder was the main defender, but every time Harden looked up, there was another Celtic in his face, switching on screens."I got a couple good looks," said Harden, who shot just 6 of 18 from the floor and needed to make the last three just to get to 33.3 percent. "The major part about it, we didn't get stops defensively."Harden was 16 of 19 from the foul line, making him 34 of 37 in two games against Boston this season.The game turned on a bizarre play that saw Harden get fouled by Jae Crowder on a drive after getting out of a double team. As the whistle blew, Harden threw his left hand out and caught Jonas Jerebko behind him, knocking the Celtic down and cutting him. Jerebko needed four stitches on his upper lip.Harden was called for a flagrant-1 foul. He made his free throws to tie the game, and Thomas went down to the other end and hit two free throws, triggering a 13-2 run that put the game away.Harden had 12 assists and six rebounds but turned the ball over seven times. He was 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

G James Harden led the Rockets with 26 points and added nine rebounds with 12 assists to record his NBA-leading 39th double-double of the season. However, he committed 11 turnovers in 39 minutes.F Jabari Parker said, "Harden is, in my eyes, the most valuable player in the league, and we tried our best to limit him to having a good game because he usually has great games every day. Almost averages a triple double."

G James Harden had his usual night at the office, posting another double-double with 29 points and 10 assists. Harden did much of his damage at the foul line, where he was 11 of 12. He finished 7 of 9 from the floor and 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds, three steals, and six turnovers.

G James Harden produced 17 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists but was 0 for 5 on 3-pointers.

G James Harden helped key a fourth-quarter shooting exhibition that, combined with some earlier defensive vigor, carried the Rockets to a 111-92 win over the Bucks on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.Harden amassed 38 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

G James Harden produced his 13th triple-double of the season, but it wasn't enough as Miami upset Houston 109-103 on Tuesday. Harden had 40 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. But the Heat made him work, forcing him into six turnovers and holding him to 12-of-30 shooting, including 4-of-15 on 3-point attempts. "All you can do is make him earn it and take away some of the easy ones," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Harden, who did make 12 of 13 from the foul line. "He is as offensively skilled as any player in this league. It is tough to rattle him."

G James Harden reached his latest triple-double in 32 minutes and only played 1:58 in the fourth as the Rockets formally secured their 10th win in 12 games. He had his 35th double-double by the end of the third when Houston held a 104-90 lead and reached his 10th assist with 6:46 left that hiked the lead to 124-99.