Kings 117, Rockets 111: Isaiah Thomas scored 17 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter as host Sacramento overcame a double-digit deficit in snapping a three-game losing streak to Houston.
John Salmons scored 23 points, including seven key free throws down the stretch, and DeMarcus Cousins had 20 for the Kings, who trailed by 10 points in the final quarter before winning for the second time in as many nights.
James Harden scored 30 points and Patrick Patterson added 18 for the Rockets, who lost despite shooting 49.4 percent and hitting 10 3-pointers.
The Rockets trailed by a point before rattling off an 11-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, grabbing a 94-84 advantage on Patrick Beverley’s layup. Thomas then took over for the Kings, scoring 10 points during a 13-3 run over the ensuing five minutes to level things at 100.
With Houston trailing by one, Harden fouled Salmons while he was shooting a 3-pointer. Salmons converted all three free throws to make it 111-107 with 1:08 to play, and the Rockets missed four attempts on the other end before having to intentionally foul Thomas. He hit both freebies and Salmons made four more free throws as the Kings held on.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Thomas (13 of 13) and Salmons (7 of 7) helped the Kings hit 26 of 27 free throws. … Sacramento F Chuck Hayes grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds. … Harden reached the 30-point plateau for the third straight contest.
Houston | Sacramento | |
James Harden 30 | Scoring | John Salmons 23 |
Patrick Beverley 8 | Assists | John Salmons 6 |
Omer Asik 12 | Rebounds | Chuck Hayes 12 |
James Harden 8 | Free Throws Made | Isaiah Thomas 13 |
Chandler Parsons 3 | Steals | John Salmons 2 |
Omer Asik 3 | Blocks | Jason Thompson 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Houston | 111 | 49.4 | 10-33 | 13-17 | 29 | 43 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
Sacramento | 117 | 46.0 | 11-20 | 26-27 | 22 | 46 | 2 | 9 | 13 |