HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets blitzed the visiting Denver Nuggets for 47 points in the second quarter and built a halftime bulge of 17 at the Toyota Center Sunday night.
But the Nuggets stormed back with a big second half, setting the stage for a thrilling finish that required overtime to settle. In the end, the Rockets prevailed, 130-125.
The prolific James Harden led all scorers with 32 points on 9-for-23 shooting from the field. Point guard Jeremy Lin finished with 19 and five assists for Houston while center Omer Asik had a fabulous 18 points and 23 rebounds.
The Rockets, who improved to 50-25 for fourth place in the Western Conference, played without the services of All-Star center Dwight Howard (left ankle strain) and point guard Patrick Beverley (right knee meniscus tear).
Evan Fournier was the main man for Denver with 26 points and Aaron Brooks reinforced with 24. Quincy Miller finished with 19 while Kenneth Faried tallied 16 and 13 rebounds as the Nuggets shot 51 of 107 field goals (47.7 percent) and 14 of 31 from 3-point range (45.2 percent).
With a 33-43 slate, the Nuggets are ranked 11th in the Western Conference and are no longer in the running for a playoffs. berth. (RM)
Photo: Terrence Jones encounters stiff resistance at the rim but it didn't stop the Rockets from beating the Nuggets in OT at the Toyota Center.
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