PHILADELPHIA -- For nearly 17 seasons, Jason Terry has been known as a clutch player.

The 38-year-old veteran proved his mettle down the stretch once again with a couple of dagger shots to lift the Houston Rockets.

James Harden scored 29 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists, Dwight Howard added 21 points and 18 rebounds and the Rockets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-104 Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Patrick Beverley scored 16 points and Trevor Ariza contributed 15 for the Rockets, who won their second straight game and evened their record at 32-32. K.J. McDaniels had 12 points and Terry added 10 points for Houston.

Terry scored seven straight points -- a 3-pointer and a four-point play for a 112-103 advantage with 2:14 remaining. Those were two gigantic shots when the Rockets needed them the most.

"Jason Terry did what he does. He hits huge shots," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Leave him open in the corner, guys did a good job of finding him. He hit two threes and an And-1 to get the four-point play. He's clutch. He's been that way for a long, long time."

Ish Smith led the reeling 76ers with 21 points, while Nerlens Noel and Robert Covington scored 17 apiece. Isaiah Canaan contributed 14, Jerami Grant had 13 and Hollis Thompson 10.

"We're resilient and we've been like this all year," Smith said. "We have to keep continuing to fight, continuing to push. We have to learn how to close out close games."

The 76ers fell to 8-56 following their 13th consecutive loss.

While the 76ers committed 18 turnovers, they did enough good enough things to remain close. This scenario has played out far too many times this season.

"It's deflating," 76ers coach Brett Brown said. "All those suttle, tiny things add up."

Harden didn't shoot particularly well (8-for-26), but he knocked down all 13 of his free throws.

Philadelphia closed the lead to 101-98 before the Rockets went on one last spurt to seal the road win.

The feisty 76ers refused to wilt after falling behind 95-79, going on a 13-0 run to get within three. Smith's crossover on Harden resulted in a step-back jumper and 95-92 deficit.

However, the Rockets came right back with a three-point play from Howard and a 3-pointer from Ariza to bump the margin to 101-92 with 7:25 left.

Harden and Terry made enough plays in the waning minutes to help register another win.

"We've just got to continue to do the things that we're doing that's making us successful," Harden said. "Defensively, we're really keying in and shutting down. And offensively, we're sharing the basketball, moving around and guys are just playing well."

After the 76ers climbed within 78-72 in the third quarter, the Rockets ripped off a quick 9-0 run to go back ahead 87-72.

Houston closed the third quarter in strong fashion as Michael Beasley threw down a one-hand dunk with 1.8 seconds remaining for a 93-79 advantage.

The Rockets trailed 27-21 after the first quarter before shifting into another gear on both ends of the court.

Beverley scored 16 first-half points, two shy of his season high, and Harden added 14.

Houston surged ahead with strong defensive pressure and the ability to break down the 76ers defense.

Late in the second quarter, Harden dribbled down the court and tossed a dazzling no-look pass to McDaniels for an alley-oop dunk, putting the Rockets ahead 53-45.

Harden scored eight points in a four-minute span and the Rockets bolted to a 61-52 advantage at halftime.

McDaniels gave the Rockets a major spark off the bench with 10 points. It was a surprise considering that he had scored 30 points all season while sitting out 26 games due to the coach's decision.

"It brought back flashbacks," McDaniels said of facing his former team. "This is where it all started. I'm just happy Coach gave me the opportunity to go out and play and to do it where it all started at is a good feeling."

The Rockets gave McDaniels some playing time and it paid off.

"We were just looking at it and the way they match up because they're so small, we didn't want to kill our smalls we play in that rotation," Bickerstaff said. "K.J.'s worked his behind off. He put himself in the position where if you need him, he's prepared to play. He asks the right questions. He works hard every day. We've found something we think we're comfortable with our small lineups and he does big man things."

Grant kept the 76ers within striking distance with a strong first half consisting of 13 points in 18 minutes.

NOTES: 76ers C Jahlil Okafor missed his fifth consecutive game with a sore right shin. Okafor had a CT scan on Tuesday and his immediate future is unclear. Coach Brett Brown said, "We'll know more tonight or tomorrow." ... Newly signed 76ers G/F Sonny Weems was active and available to play. ... Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff is still searching for consistency. He took over when Kevin McHale was fired just 11 games into the season. "Change in the middle of a season is tough," Bickerstaff said. "We're trying to get to know each other when the results matter." ... Houston F Terrence Jones was inactive. ... The Rockets signed free agent G Andrew Goudelock. He was the No. 46 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011 draft.