A defender on either side of him, James Harden let it fly one last time for an improbable game-winner in the waning seconds of overtime before falling backward and hitting the floor.
It took his second triple-double of the week, fifth straight 40-point performance and sheer will to rally the Houston Rockets past the Golden State Warriors 135-134 in a thriller between Western Conference powers on Thursday for their sixth straight victory.
Harden hit a contested three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left in overtime and finished with 44 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. The reigning MVP’s team had trailed by 20.
Photo: Kyle Terada, USA Today
“I take my shots, I drive to the basket,” Harden said. “I shoot my step-backs with confidence and live with the results.”
Kevin Durant’s long three-pointer missed as the buzzer sounded in what will go down as one of the best games this regular season — a rematch of last year’s seven-game Western Conference Finals.
Stephen Curry put the Warriors ahead with 23.1 seconds remaining in overtime on the way to 35 points, a basket that should not have counted because Durant was clearly out of bounds when he flung the ball back in.
Durant said he knew it and “I could believe it because the refs were missing a lot tonight.”
However, Harden had one more incredible, acrobatic moment still in him. He released the ball swarmed by Klay Thompson to his left and Draymond Green in front of him.
“I don’t know where it ranks, but I’m just happy to come away with the win,” Harden said.
“He just did what he does,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s the master of the isolation, the step-back three and drawing fouls.”
Including his 50-point game on Dec. 13 against the Los Angeles Lakers, Harden has scored at least 30 in 11 straight.
Kerr’s simple message about defending Harden, who went to the line 27 times on Monday: “Don’t foul him.”
Harden shot five free throws in the first quarter on Thursday and nine in all.
“We had a 20-point lead and lost. It doesn’t really matter what happened at that point,” Green said.
Thompson scored 26 points and hit consecutive three-pointers late in the first half. After struggling to find his stroke from deep, Thompson is 10-17 on three-pointers in the past three games.
With his first three at the seven-minute mark of the opening period, Durant became the 32nd player in NBA history to reach 22,000 points.
Falling backward as he released the ball over Harden, Durant swished a three with 59.2 seconds left in the first half.
The cold-shooting Rockets fell behind 70-53 at halftime. Houston was just 6-23 from long range, 3-9 by Harden, while the Warriors shot 62.8 percent.
SPURS 125, RAPTORS 107
DeMar DeRozan had his first career triple-double with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, and San Antonio welcomed back Kawhi Leonard with thunderous jeers in a victory over Toronto.
Leonard scored 21 points on 8-13 shooting, but the anger the Spurs’ fans showered on him seemed to impact the MVP candidate.
Leonard had to take a step back at the free-throw line and compose himself amid chants of “Traitor, traitor” and “Quitter, quitter” from the capacity crowd that adored him during his seven seasons in San Antonio.
Leonard was booed heavily from the moment he walked onto the court for warm-ups and continued during a pre-game video tribute and player introductions, whenever he touched the ball and as he walked off the court.
DeRozan and the Spurs dominated the battle of former teammates, leading by as many as 28 points in snapping the Raptors’ three-game winning streak.
NUGGETS 117, KINGS 113
Jamal Murray scored 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter as Denver beat Sacramento for their fourth straight win.
Nikola Jokic had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and the Nuggets maintained their lead atop the Western Conference by winning for the eighth time in 10 games.
Buddy Hield had 29 points to lead the Kings, who have lost three straight.
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