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National Basketball Association
Houston 107, Philadelphia 91
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, March 8, 2019
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #50 Gediminas Petraitis, #19 James Capers, #56 Mark Ayotte
Attendance: 18055

James Harden scored 31 points, Eric Gordon chipped in 17 with five 3-pointers, and the Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to a season-best seven games with their 107-91 victory over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers on Friday at Toyota Center.

Harden added 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals to his ledger as the Rockets seized control with a 14-2 spurt midway through the first quarter. Philadelphia played its eighth consecutive game without All-Star center Joel Embiid (left knee), falling to 4-4 in that stretch.

A combination of lethargic defense and errant shooting did the 76ers in, particularly early. While Houston rolled to a 37-point opening period on 56.5-percent shooting, Philadelphia missed all four of its 3-point attempts in the first quarter while shooting 10 of 24 (41.7 percent) overall.

The 76ers' shooting did not improve throughout the course of the game, with Philadelphia finishing 3 for 26 from behind the arc while shooting 36.8 percent from the floor. Tobias Harris paced the 76ers with 22 points and nine rebounds while Jimmy Butler posted 19 points and nine boards. Ben Simmons also grabbed nine rebounds to complement his 15 points and 10 assists along with seven turnovers.

Rockets center Clint Capela barely missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Gerald Green added 14 points off the bench. Houston finished 13 for 41 from behind the arc.

Houston led 57-35 on a Chris Paul pull-up jumper late in the first half before the 76ers responded with a 9-0 run that cut the deficit to 13. But Harden, who departed the game briefly after taking a hard fall on his right wrist in the third quarter, beat Butler off the dribble and converted a driving layup that extended the Houston lead to 15 points at the intermission.

Philadelphia clawed to within 12 points on a Simmons dunk with just under nine minutes remaining in the third quarter before Houston delivered the knockout blow with an 11-2 burst that featured three 3s.

Houston led by as many as 24 points at 96-72 on an Iman Shumpert corner 3 in the final period.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Houston
Tobias Harris 22 Scoring James Harden 31
Ben Simmons 10 Assists Chris Paul 8
Jimmy Butler 9 Rebounds James Harden 10
James Ennis III 4 Free Throws Made James Harden 6
Justin Patton 2 Steals Clint Capela 4
Jimmy Butler 2 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Philadelphia 91 36.8 3-26 18-23 20 59 4 9 18
Houston 107 49.4 13-41 10-15 22 43 0 13 17
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Rockets have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .560 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Indiana. The 76ers have a W/L % of .537 after a win and .760 after a loss.