Rockets 111, Pelicans 104: James Harden had 33 points and 13 assists and Patrick Beverley scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as host Houston closed the game with a 15-0 surge to rally past New Orleans.

Jeremy Lin added 18 points off the bench and Dwight Howard had 13 points in his return from an ankle injury as the Rockets moved one game ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers in the battle for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. Beverley keyed the late charge with two 3-pointers in a 27-second span as Houston halted a two-game skid.

Luke Babbitt scored a career-best 24 points as the shorthanded Pelicans dropped their eighth straight game. Austin Rivers had 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and Anthony Morrow scored 20 points for New Orleans, which was without swingman Tyreke Evans (knee) and guard Brian Roberts (ankle).

Houston trailed 104-96 after Babbitt’s basket with 2:47 to play but the back-to-back 3-pointers by Beverley brought the Rockets within one with 1:36 to play. Harden drove for a basket that put Houston ahead with 1:05 left and Lin’s basket and Harden’s two free throws made it a five-point margin with 25.2 seconds remaining as the Rockets finished with a flourish.

The Pelicans used a 16-3 burst during a 39-point second quarter to open up a 59-46 halftime lead. New Orleans controlled the flow for most of the third quarter and took an 82-72 lead into the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Evans and Roberts were injured in Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City, joining a list of injured players that includes PF Anthony Davis, G Eric Gordon, F Ryan Anderson, PG Jrue Holiday and C Jason Smith. … Rockets F Chandler Parsons (hip, wrist) sat out the contest with Beverley (knee) and Howard both returning after missing the previous eight games. … C Alexis Ajinca added 17 points and seven rebounds for New Orleans.