James Harden scored a season-high 57 points, and the host Houston Rockets survived their first game without center Clint Capela, pulling away in the second half for a 112-94 victory over the reeling Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
Harden recorded his 17th consecutive 30-point game, the longest such streak since Wilt Chamberlain had a 20-game run in 1964. Kobe Bryant had a stretch of 16 straight 30-point games in 2003. Harden scored 36 points in the first half.
One night after the Rockets lost Capela for up to six weeks with a right thumb injury, Harden shot 17 of 33 from the floor, including 6 of 15 on 3-point tries, while converting 17 of 18 free throws. He added nine rebounds.
