NEW YORK (AP) – James Harden scored 30 points, carrying Houston on a night when Dwight Howard did little after fighting with Kevin Garnett, and the Rockets beat the slumping Brooklyn Nets 113-99 last night.
Garnett was ejected in the first quarter after head-butting Howard in the face and throwing the ball at him, while Howard received a technical foul after appearing to punch or slap Garnett in the neck.
Howard had a quiet night otherwise, finishing with eight points and five rebounds, but the Rockets didn’t need much in the middle while dominating from the outside with 16 3-pointers in 40 attempts.
Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 24 points for the Nets, who lost their sixth straight.
Houston have won four in a row, all by double digits, and blew away a Nets team that had held their previous eight opponents under 100 points, the longest streak in the NBA this season.
Pistons 114, Raptors 111
TORONTO (AP) – Brandon Jennings had 34 points and ten assists, and Detroit won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Greg Monroe had 22 points and ten rebounds as the Pistons snapped a four-game losing streak against Toronto. Jodie Meeks scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and Jonas Jerebko had eight of his ten in the final period.
Jonas Valanciunas scored a career-best 31 points and had 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Kyle Lowry had ten points and 12 assists, Greivis Vasquez scored 16 and Lou Williams had 15.
Andre Drummond also had a double-double in Detroit’s sixth consecutive road win, finishing with ten points and 14 rebounds.
Celtics 108, Pelicans 100
BOSTON (AP) – Jared Sullinger had 27 points and tern ebounds for Boston, and rookie Marcus Smart nailed a key three-pointer in the closing minute.
The Celtics won for the third time in their last 12 games. Jae Crowder scored 22 points, Marcus Thornton had 13 and Brandon Bass finished with 12.
Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Eric Gordon scored 21 points, and Tyreke Evans had 19 points and eight boards.
Clinging to a 101-100 lead, Avery Bradley’s shot was blocked by Davis in the lane, before Smart nailed a three from the left corner, falling into the seats as the shot swished through the basket with 39.7 seconds left.