NEW ORLEANS -- Even with forward Anthony Davis nursing a concussion in the New Orleans Pelicans' locker room, the Houston Rockets frittered away a 16-point, third-quarter lead and looked even more vulnerable when they missed their first nine shots of the fourth quarter.

If there ever were a time for James Harden's instant offense, this was it, and the All-Star guard delivered in a big way Monday night.

Harden scored 10 of his game-high 35 points in the final 5:39 to lift the Rockets to a 112-111 victory over the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.

Harden and forward Trevor Ariza, who had 31 points and shot 8-for-11 from 3-point range, combined for 66 points, making 22 of 36 field-goal attempts.

Playing a second consecutive game without center Dwight Howard, who has a sprained left ankle, the Rockets (25-22) spread the floor with an ultra-small, gun-slinging lineup, and they fired at will, making 19 of 39 long-range jumpers.

"The good part about it is guys are making shots," Harden said. "The floor was more spaced. They were worried about Trevor, and (guard) Pat (Beverley) hit a (go-ahead) 3. When the floor has more space, I'm able to get to my spots a lot easier."

Beverley's open 3-pointer from the left wing gave the Rockets the lead for good, 110-109, with 1:09 left. Beverley got the wide-open look because Harden was able to draw the defense and kick it to the open man.

"He was open," Harden said. "It was the right play, and I made it and he made the shot. That goes a long way, especially with your teammates."

After forward Ryan Anderson missed a fadeaway 18-footer on the left baseline, Harden nailed an 18-foot fader of his own over the outstretched arms of guard Jrue Holiday with 34.2 second left for a 112-109 lead.

Holiday, who had a season-high 32 points and nine assists in 36 minutes, cut it to 112-111 with a driving layup with 28.3 seconds left, meaning the Rockets had a four-second differential in the shot clock on their final possession.

Harden worked the clock down but missed a short jumper over Holiday, and the rebound in the corner went off Ariza's leg to give New Orleans (16-28) one last chance to go the length of the court. Holiday got the inbounds pass but fired up a 3-point attempt from just across midcourt that missed.

"We wanted to take the last shot, obviously," Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We wanted to get it up on the rim, at least give it an opportunity to bounce, deflection, rebound. We forced them into a tough one."

Because of the way he flies around the court, Davis has been prone to freak injuries in his first three seasons. But his latest injury -- an elbow to the left side of his head -- came as a result of friendly fire.

Pelicans guard Tyreke Evans and Davis went up strong for a defensive rebound, and Evans inadvertently slammed his right elbow into Davis' head. Davis hit the deck for nearly a minute and then left for the locker room with the game tied at 58 with a minute left in the half. The Pelicans said he sustained a concussion and would be further evaluated Tuesday.

Davis finished with nine points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. The Pelicans are 0-5 this season when Davis does not play and 2-3 when an injury limits him to 20 or fewer minutes.

With Davis in the locker room, the Rockets smoked the Pelicans with an 18-0 run to start the third quarter and take a 76-60 lead. The Rockets made their first six field-goal attempts of the quarter, and Harden capped the run by canning three free throws after being fouled behind the arc.

However, the Pelicans closed the period with a 32-17 surge, which included a 35-foot banked 3-pointer by guard Norris Cole to beat the buzzer, and New Orleans trailed just 93-92.

"At the end of the day, I thought we played as hard as we possibly could," said New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry, who said the Pelicans were done in by shooting just 14 of 25 from the foul line. "We're right there."

"When you fight like that, when you have guys out including your best player, this is not a dip," said Anderson, who scored 22 points for New Orleans. "We don't view this as a dip for us. ... We've been playing with the same consistent kind of effort. That's what we've been looking for all year."

NOTES: New Orleans G Tyreke Evans, who played only 16 minutes, said he experienced right knee pain and probably will undergo an MRI exam Tuesday. "We have to take care of it and get it right, and hopefully I can be back on the court soon," Evans said. ... Rockets C Dwight Howard did not play for the second consecutive game because of a sprained left ankle. "He worked out today and we'll see how he responds tomorrow," interim Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ... Bickerstaff said going to a smaller lineup is giving G James Harden more room to do damage. "There's less of a crowd in the paint, and he likes to get to the paint," Bickerstaff said. ... New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry on Harden: "He is probably the best in the league, maybe ever, at drawing contact. We just try to preach to keep a good defensive stance and keep our hands up."