NBA roundup: Harden’s 30-point streak ends in win

James Harden had his streak of consecutive 30-point games end at 32, but he and Chris Paul helped the host Houston Rockets withstand a career night from Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Trae Young en route to a 119-111 win on Monday.

Harden posted 28 points despite finishing 0-for-10 from 3-point range. He had an opportunity to pursue an extension of the streak, the second longest in league history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 65-game run in 1961-62, but he dribbled out the clock with the victory secure.

Harden had sat out the Rockets’ previous game, a Saturday road win over the Golden State Warriors, due to a neck injury. Paul added 20 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Young paired 36 points on 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range with eight assists. John Collins chipped in 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks.

76ers 111, Pelicans 110

Tobias Harris scored 29 points while All-Star center Joel Embiid sat out his third consecutive game with a sore left knee as visiting Philadelphia held on to defeat New Orleans.

After Julius Randle scored on a dunk to pull New Orleans within one point with 10.9 seconds left, Philadelphia’s Jonathon Simmons missed two free throws with 9.7 seconds to go, giving the Pelicans a chance to win. However, Jimmy Butler tipped E’Twaun Moore’s 3-point attempt, forcing a miss just before the buzzer.

JJ Redick added 16 points for the 76ers. Jrue Holiday led the Pelicans with 22 points, and Randle had 19 points and 14 rebounds. Anthony Davis, who returned to the lineup after sitting out to rest Saturday night, had 18 points.

Warriors 121, Hornets 110

Klay Thompson scored 26 points, and DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Golden State beat Charlotte.

The Warriors have now won 16 of their past 18 road games. Cousins might have had his best game since returning from an Achilles injury 14 games ago. He was 9 of 15 from the field and was on the court for most of the Warriors’ runs.

Cody Zeller scored a career-high 28 points to lead the Hornets, hitting 13 of 14 from the field. The Hornets also got 23 points from Kemba Walker.

Suns 124, Heat 121

Devin Booker scored 20 points and dished nine assists as Phoenix snapped a franchise-record, 17-game losing streak with a win at Miami.

Booker, fouled by Josh Richardson with 17.3 seconds left, made two free throws to give Phoenix a 122-121 lead. Wade later missed a 3-point attempt to tie the score, and Phoenix escaped with its first win since beating the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 12.

The Heat have lost six straight home games and haven’t won in Miami since that same date, Jan. 12, since they beat Memphis. Heat center Hassan Whiteside had 29 points and 11 rebounds.

Timberwolves 112, Kings 105

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 34 points and collected 21 rebounds in his return from a concussion to lead Minnesota over Sacramento in Minneapolis.

Towns played in 303 consecutive games before missing the past two due to the concussion. Derrick Rose added 20 points for the Timberwolves, who won for the fourth time in the past five games. Tyus Jones contributed 16 points and eight assists as Minnesota overcame 22 turnovers. Marvin Bagley III recorded 25 points and 11 rebounds to notch his third straight double-double for the Kings, who finished 1-3 on a four-game road trip. De’Aaron Fox scored 23 points and Buddy Hield had 18 points and eight rebounds for Sacramento, which committed 20 turnovers.

Grizzlies 110, Lakers 105

Mike Conley scored 30 points, and Memphis ended a four-game losing streak by beating visiting Los Angeles.

Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 13 rebounds, Avery Bradley scored 15, and Joakim Noah finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench for Memphis.

LeBron James had 24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, Brandon Ingram scored 32 points, and Kyle Kuzma finished with 22 points for the Lakers, who went 0-2 on a brief road trip. James moved into the NBA’s all-time top 10 in assists, making him the only player on that list and the top 10 in career points.

Clippers 121, Mavericks 112

Montrezl Harrell scored a career-high 32 points and Lou Williams added 21 as Los Angeles’ bench rode to the rescue again in a victory over visiting Dallas.

Danilo Gallinari led the starting five with 20 points as the Clippers won for the fourth time in their past six games and beat the Mavericks at home for the fifth consecutive time.

Luka Doncic recorded a triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and veteran Dirk Nowitzki added 12 in his second start of the season and 1,500th career game as the Mavericks lost their fifth consecutive game and fell for the sixth time in their past seven games.

Pistons 113, Pacers 109

Andre Drummond powered his way to 26 points and 16 rebounds, Blake Griffin recorded a triple-double, and Detroit collected a win over visiting Indiana.

Detroit has won seven of its last eight, including all three outings since the All-Star break. Griffin racked up 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Luke Kennard had 19 points off the bench while Wayne Ellington and Reggie Jackson added 14 points apiece.

Bojan Bogdanovic’s 25 points led Indiana, which had won eight of its previous nine. Reserve Domantas Sabonis had 23 points and seven rebounds, but he hobbled off with an ankle injury with a minute remaining. Darren Collison supplied 21 points and five assists.

Nets 101, Spurs 85

D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points and Brooklyn led most of the way in cruising to victory over San Antonio, which ended its eight-game road trip with a 1-7 record.

Russell added eight assists and seven rebounds after matching a career high Saturday with 40 points in a win at Charlotte. The Nets won for the 15th time in their past 19 home games.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points for the Spurs, who missed 20 of 24 3-point attempts and set a season low for points. DeMar DeRozan added 23 points.

Trail Blazers 123, Cavaliers 110

Portland squandered most of a 23-point halftime lead, but CJ McCollum and Seth Curry came to the rescue as Portland beat host Cleveland.

In winning their fourth straight, the Trail Blazers never trailed and scored more than 100 points for the 26th straight game. McCollum scored 35 points lead the Trail Blazers. Damien Lillard added 21 points and eight assists, and Jusuf Nurkic recorded 15 points and eight rebounds.

Cedi Osman led the Cavaliers with 27 points, and Jordan Clarkson added 19 off the bench. Kevin Love scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to notch his third straight double-double. He is five games into his return to the lineup after foot surgery.

Bucks 117, Bulls 106

Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton scored 22 points apiece, and Milwaukee cruised to a victory at Chicago.

Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic added 13 points apiece for the Bucks, who won their fifth game in a row. Milwaukee shot 46.2 percent (42 of 91) from the field and knocked down 17 shots from beyond the arc.

Lauri Markkanen and Robin Lopez each had 26 points in a losing effort for the Bulls. Chicago’s three-game win streak ended as the Bucks completed a four-game sweep in the regular-season series.

—Field Level Media