NEW YORK -- Once the Houston Rockets started doing some of the small things, the big shots started falling.

And once those shots started going in, the Rockets pulled off an impressive comeback.

Reserve guard Marcus Thornton and forward Trevor Ariza delivered clutch 3-pointers during overtime as the Rockets rallied from a 14-point deficit in the final eight-plus minutes of regulation and pulled out a wild 116-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

"What we did was didn't get down on ourselves," Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We figured out another way to get ourselves back in the ballgame. We did much a better job defensively, we forced them into 23 turnovers. We kept them off the offensive glass, and we got contributions from everybody, guys who may not have been playing extremely well or a lot came in and made plays, and it was a bunch of small plays."

The Rockets allowed the Knicks to shoot 57.7 percent but still found a way to close regulation with a 24-10 spurt, going from being down 91-77 to getting the game to overtime.

Houston faced a sizable deficit but scored eight consecutive points before forging a 101-101 deadlock on a 3-pointer by Thornton with 32 seconds remaining.

"They kept attacking," New York forward Lance Thomas said. "We turned the ball over a little bit. We weren't as organized during the duration of the game. They took advantage of it and put themselves in a position to win."

Once the game reached overtime, some of those small things came into play for the Rockets, who shot 58 percent (15-for-26) over the final 13:05.

"Our shots weren't falling in the first half, but our defense was on point," Houston guard Patrick Beverley said. "If we just (stick) with the defense and stay aggressive, good things will happen, and that's what we did."

Ariza added, "We just took it possession by possession. We tried to focus more on the defensive end, tried to get them one-shot opportunities. So that's what our focus was."

Houston opened overtime on a dunk by center Dwight Howard off a lob from Thornton, who then scored the next five points for a 108-103 lead. Even with momentum in Houston's favor, the Knicks forced two more ties before Ariza hit the biggest shot of the night.

Howard set a screen on Knicks guard Arron Afflalo, and Ariza had ample time to knock down a long left-wing 3-pointer near the New York bench. New York missed its next two chances as Afflalo misfired on a long jumper with 10.5 seconds to play before Calderon was off target on a 3-pointer two seconds later.

Guard James Harden shook of a 2-for-9 start and led the Rockets with 26 points. Forward Clint Capela and Thornton added 18 apiece, while Ariza contributed 16 and Howard had 14.

New York, which played without forward Carmelo Anthony (illness), dropped its fourth straight game since winning in Houston Nov. 21.

"We couldn't get our defense back and set, and they really started to attack us in transition," Knicks coach Derek Fisher said.

Afflalo led the Knicks with a season-high 31 points while shooting 13-for-19 from the floor. Rookie Kristaps Porzingis closed out his first month by getting 20 points and 13 rebounds for his eighth double-double, while Thomas contributed 15 in place Anthony.

"Obviously, it is tough," Affalo said. "I'm extremely proud of my teammates. I thought everybody stepped up and did the best that they could. I thought that it was a few little rebounds and a few turnovers, some small things."

NOTES: Asked about the news about Los Angeles Lakers F/G Kobe Bryant's retirement after the season, Houston G James Harden said: "He's a warrior. He is a competitor. There will not be another guy like him." ... Houston F/C Donatas Motiejunas participated at the morning shootaround and is hopeful of returning to the team at some point in the near future. He is scheduled to have his back examined Tuesday and if it goes well, he could be cleared to start practicing for the first time since last March's back surgery. ... New York coach Derek Fisher coached in his 100th career game. Of the franchise's 27 coaches, he is the 15th to coach at least 100 games. ... Fisher said the Knicks discovered Anthony was sick about 40 minutes before the opening tip when they have their final preparation meeting. Anthony was in the arena before the game, but the medical staff sent him home.