Rockets 100, Bobcats 89: James Harden knocked down four 3-pointers en route to 31 points as visiting Houston topped Charlotte for its fourth straight win.

Terrence Jones added 18 points and Dwight Howard returned from a three-game absence with 10 points and 10 rebounds as Houston swept a two-game road trip. Chandler Parsons chipped in 11 points and Jeremy Lin had 10 for Houston.

Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Al Jefferson collected 20 points and 11 boards for the Bobcats. Gerald Henderson added 13 points as Charlotte fell for the third time in four games.

Lin’s 3-pointer with 10:45 left bumped the Rockets’ lead to 83-70 before the Bobcats took off on a 13-5 run to chop the deficit to five points. Parsons and Patrick Beverley knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the lead to 98-87 with a minute left as Houston put it away.

Harden’s jumper sent the Rockets in to the half with a 54-50 lead. Charlotte took a 66-65 lead on Jefferson’s free throws before Harden scored nine points during a 13-2 run to close the third quarter to send Houston into the fourth up 78-68.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harden is averaging 32 points in the last three games and is 15-for-25 from 3-point range in that span. … The Bobcats struggled to 4-of-21 from beyond the arc while the Rockets hit 12-of-27 3-point attempts. … Howard (ankle) played 33 minutes and went 4-of-9 from the field in his return.