HOUSTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A monster game from James Harden sparked Houston to a second-half outburst Wednesday that gave the Rockets a 113-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Harden put up 23 shots and hit 14 of them while scoring 38 points. The Rockets trailed by five at halftime but outscored the Lakers by 18 in the third quarter on their way to a second straight victory.
Los Angeles turned the ball over seven times in the third quarter and eventually suffered its third straight loss. The Lakers have dropped nine out of 10.
Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones dominated the paint for Houston, collecting 13 rebounds each. Howard also scored 20 points and Jones had 15.
Nick Young came off the bench to score 25 points for the Lakers. Pau Gasol and Jodie Meeks both produced 21.
A 3-pointer by Harden with 6:30 to go in the third period touched off a 17-2 Houston run. Harden has scored at least 35 points in three straight games, something no other Houston player has done in the last eight years.
