James Harden on Wednesday returned to Houston for the first time since his tumultuous departure from the Houston Rockets, posting a triple-double to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 132-114 victory over his former NBA team.
Harden, greeted by a first-quarter video tribute, cheers and a smattering of boos, delivered 29 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists to fuel Brooklyn, where he finally landed in January after demanding a trade.
“I’m excited. I mean, we got a win,” Harden said. “We’ve been playing very, very good basketball, and to finish out strong like this going into the All-Star break means a lot to us.”
Photo: AP
Harden became just the sixth player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his first game against his former team, ably helping the Nets overcome the continued absence of Kevin Durant.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Joel Embiid scored 40 points and pulled down 19 rebounds to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 131-123 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz in a clash of the top teams in the East and West.
Embiid drained a three-pointer to knot the score at 118-118 with 6.5 seconds left in regulation, while Tobias Harris scored 11 of his 22 points in overtime to lift the 76ers to victory over the league-leading Jazz.
Utah star Donovan Mitchell finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but was ejected after receiving his second technical in the extra period.
A frustrated Mitchell lashed out at game officials.
“I’m never, ever one to blame a ref ... but this is getting out of hand,” Mitchell said of calls he felt should have gone Utah’s way.
“There have been games like this we’ve won, games we’ve lost ... but the fact that we continuously get screwed in a way by this — it’s getting ridiculous,” he said.
Mitchell stormed off the court after his second technical for arguing with officials, kicking a water cooler toward a security guard as he departed.
Also on Wednesday, it was:
‧ Trail Blazers 108, Warriors 106
‧ Kings 123, Lakers 120
‧ Pacers 114, Cavaliers 111
‧ Pistons 129, Raptors 105
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