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HOUSTON -- The Rockets needed 50 points from All-NBA guard James Harden to stave off the winless Philadelphia 76ers, but after losing seven of the previous eight games, the Rockets weren't in position to be haughty. Harden added nine rebounds and eight assists to fully stuff the stat sheet and carried the Houston Rockets to a frantic 116-114 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night at the Toyota Center.
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Harden also had nine of the Rockets' 23 turnovers, and their poor ball security enabled the Sixers (0-17) to fight valiantly albeit in vain en route to an NBA-record 27th consecutive loss. Houston (6-10) altered its starting lineup, aligning backup center Clint Capela alongside starting center Dwight Howard. The duo responded with double-doubles of 13 points and 10 rebounds and 14 points and 13 rebounds, respectively.
"He's got to be aggressive and he's got to take what's there, but we can't count on him to score 50 points every night and win. That's just not sustainable," Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Harden. "We've got to do some things to help him."
Guard Isaiah Canaan and forward Robert Covington, both former Rockets, paced the Sixers, with Canaan scoring 23 points on 4 of 10 3-pointers while Covington added a career-high 28 points plus seven rebounds, five assists and eight steals. It was Covington who initiated the Sixers' comeback from a 16-point deficit late in the third quarter, capping that period with a three-point play that got Philadelphia rolling.
Covington buried the first of three consecutive Sixers 3s before forward Jerami Grant (18 points) carried the torch with two free throws that tied the score at 93 with 9:32 left, a 3-pointer and a thunderous transition dunk that bumped the lead to 104-97 with 6:41 to play. But the Sixers immediately surrendered a 10-0 run and their offense bogged down again, problems that had plagued them in recent close setbacks.
"It's equally as painful because they put themselves in a position where maybe you could steal a win," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "This one, was a little bit different because we clawed our way back. We got down 16 points in the third and found a way to go ahead."
Harden tallied seven consecutive points to pull the Rockets even before Corey Brewer sank three free throws with 5:00 left. Harden hit two free throws plus a 3 for a 112-106 lead Houston did not relinquish.
"In the first quarter, we did a tremendous job of holding them under 20 points," Harden said. "The rest of the game, we just let up and that's how they got confidence. They started making shots; it's hard to slow them down after that."
One offensive blitz in the third quarter enabled the Rockets to seize control, albeit temporarily. Harden and Howard worked splendidly in concert, with Harden scoring 16 points in the quarter to stretch a five-point halftime lead to 76-62 with a trey with 6:36 left in the period.
But the Rockets' sloppiness helped keep the Sixers close. Houston committed seven turnovers in the third, many of the live-ball variety, and the Sixers' scorching perimeter shooting was another equalizer.
Canaan and Covington proved indefensible for stretches, and even after Harden followed three free throws with a three-point play, the Sixers found the shooting and the defensive might to make a key run.
"We just came out with the mindset that everyone was going to be locked in to what we did on the game plan," Covington said. "It just so happened that I was fortunate enough to come out and have a hot hand. Not just me, but my other teammates. A lot of guys came out and we played well."
NOTES: Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff altered his starting lineup dramatically, benching both G Jason Terry and F Terrence Jones in favor of Patrick Beverley and Clint Capela, respectively. Inserting Beverley, who started 110 of 112 games the previous two seasons was not surprise, but Capela had served as the backup to C Dwight Howard. "We're going to keep making changes until we figure it out," Bickerstaff said. ... 76ers coach Brett Brown pledged to handle the nightclub incident involving rookie C Jahlil Okafor with "discipline and tough love" after reports that Okafor physically confronted a jeering fan in Boston. The NBA is investigating the incident. ... The Rockets remain committed to G Ty Lawson, who played just 2:41 on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies and has scuffled since his offseason acquisition from Denver. Getting Lawson in the paint is a priority. Last season, he shot 54.5 percent inside 10 feet; this season, Lawson is shooting 46.2 percent from that range, 1 of 12 between 3-10 feet. ... The Sixers scratched Nerlens Noel (right knee soreness). JaKarr Sampson took his place.
