HOUSTON -- With their defense alternating between lackluster and absent throughout the second half, the Houston Rockets benefited from timely individual defensive plays delivered by Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverley down the stretch.

Ariza produced a blocked shot and Beverley a steal as Houston eked out a 122-118 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Toyota Center.

The Nets (6-17) lost their seventh consecutive road game but only after shredding the Rockets for 75 second-half points, including 46 in the paint and 14 in transition.

With Houston clinging to a one-point lead, Ariza redirected a driving layup attempt from Nets reserve guard Joe Harris with 12.9 seconds to play. Beverley followed with a steal of an inbounds pass from Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick with 6.4 seconds left and the Rockets (18-7) scrambling to protect a two-point advantage.

"We weathered the storm, got stops towards the end and we were fortunate to come out with the win despite the lack of defensive awareness, despite the missed free throws," said Beverley, who posted 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. "A lot of stuff didn't go our way."

The Rockets labored while extending their winning streak to seven games, going 21 of 36 from the foul line and allowing 65.9 percent shooting in the second half.

James Harden led Houston with 36 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, and Eric Gordon added 24 points off the bench, including 18 in the fourth quarter. Gordon hit the final two free throws.

Brooklyn center Brook Lopez scored a team-high 26 points and was the anchor for the Nets' 68 points in the paint. Kilpatrick and his starting backcourt partner, Isaiah Whitehead, combined for 30 points on 12-of-18 shooting plus seven assists, while guard Jeremy Lin added 10 points and seven assists in his first action since Nov. 2.

"It helps having Jeremy back," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It just gives us organization. He's a veteran and he had seven assists in 20 minutes, and I think that was big. He knows where to give Brook the ball and when to give Brook the ball, and that's from his experience."

Four minutes after Harden handed the Rockets a 105-96 lead, forward Trevor Booker completed a three-point play with 2:19 remaining to give the Nets their first lead since the middle of the first quarter. Lopez followed hook shot that upped the advantage to 116-113.

Gordon responded with a 3-pointer and Harden a 17-footer to save the Rockets' hide.

Once Brooklyn caught fire in the third quarter, Houston proved unable to stem the tide, with the Nets' burst of offense setting the stage for a white-knuckle finish.

"This is the NBA," Harden said. "You've got guys that can get confidence and make shots, and it's tough to put (the fire) out. Lopez started to get it going early, and they threw the ball to him and he was just scoring. But we got stops when we needed to."

The Nets shot 72.7 percent (16 of 22) in the third quarter. When Lin drilled a 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left, the Nets had shaved 10 points off the deficit and trailed 90-85.

Houston limited the Nets to 43 points prior to the intermission, but in the third quarter, the Rockets sprung multiple defensive leaks in surrendering 42 points.

Lopez scored nine points in the third, and five of his teammates recorded multiple baskets. Brooklyn produced 28 points in the paint in the third quarter alone and added 8-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe.

With Harden producing 10 points and seven assists while Ryan Anderson scored 12 of his 19 points prior to halftime, there was little indication that Houston would collapse enough to surrender the lead.

"For me and our whole team, we played aggressive and we played confident and we played to win," Lin said. "I'm OK with that."

NOTES: Brooklyn G Jeremy Lin returned after missing 17 games with a strained left hamstring. Brooklyn lost 13 of 17 games with Lin sidelined. ... Rockets GM Daryl Morey said Monday that the team was in discussions with the league seeking a resolution to its standstill with F Donatas Motiejunas. The sides hit a snag with Motiejunas' physical over the weekend after agreeing to a four-year deal worth between $31 million to $37 million. Motiejunas played just 37 games last season after undergoing back surgery in April 2015 and had a mid-February trade to Detroit vetoed when Pistons doctors balked at his physical. ... Nets coach Kenny Atkinson returned to Houston where he began his coaching career as director of player development in 2007-08. Atkinson also spent four seasons (2008-12) as an assistant with the Knicks under now-Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni.