CLEVELAND -- James Harden scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and Trevor Ariza's 3-pointer in the corner with 17 seconds left capped a furious second-half rally Tuesday, giving the Houston Rockets a 106-100 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on a night that LeBron James rested.

The Cavs fell to 1-3 this season without James and 4-13 since he returned to Cleveland before last season. This time, they led by 20 points early in the third quarter and by 13 entering the fourth before giving it all back.

Harden had 27 points and eight assists and Michael Beasley scored 17 points, including 10 in the second half. Dwight Howard had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Ariza finished with 15 points for the Rockets, who won for the second time in their last six games while fighting for their playoff lives.

Howard tied the score at 91 on a foul shot and Patrick Beverley gave the Rockets their first lead since the second quarter on a 3-pointer with 3:42 remaining.

The Cavs missed eight straight shots in the fourth quarter and went scoreless for nearly four minutes before Kyrie Irving split two free throws with 2:44 left to pull Cleveland within 94-92. Before Irving's foul shot, the Cavs managed just one basket in six minutes.

Irving finished with 31 points and eight assists and Kevin Love had 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavs, who led 62-42 early in the third quarter on a night they didn't shoot the ball well (36 percent) and were significantly outrebounded (55-38).

Cleveland's hustle and consistent effort at both ends built the big lead, but the Cavs couldn’t sustain it once the Rockets started hitting shots.

NOTES: Rockets coach J.B. Bickerstaff's father, Bernie, is a former Cavs assistant coach and remains an adviser to Cavs general manager David Griffin. Bernie did not attend Tuesday's game. "We don't talk on game days anyway," J.B. said. "But my mom is here and there are some cousin Bickerstaffs here." ... Rockets G James Harden is averaging 8.5 assists in his last 31 games and Bickerstaff has been pleased with his playmaking. "It's a two-part issue, though, because guys have to be in the right spots and he's got to get them the ball," Bickerstaff said. "His assists are up, and in terms of scoring, he's one of the best in the league at making a one-on-one play." ... The Cavaliers began the night 16 3-pointers shy of matching the record for most 3-pointers in a month (164) set last March. They reached double figures in 3-pointers in their last 11 games before Tuesday, also a team record. ... Cavaliers F LeBron James is four points from passing Dominique Wilkins (26,668) for 12th place on the NBA’s career scoring list.