Harden, Westbrook combine for 78 as Rockets stop Celtics’ streak

James Harden scored 42 points Tuesday and Russell Westbrook had 36 as Houston (34-20) ended a seven-game winning streak by Boston (37-16).

Houston’s All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 78 points as the Rockets ended a seven-game winning streak for the visiting Celtics in a 116-105 victory (box score).

Tuesday’s win sends the Rockets (34-20) into the All-Star break with momentum, now having won five of their last seven games. (And perhaps it should be six of seven, if not for Sunday’s stunning buzzer-beater by Utah’s Bojan Bogdanovic.) With the loss, Boston fell to 37-16.

Harden scored 42 on 9-of-19 shooting (47.4%), and he got to the free-throw line 18 times, making 17. The 2018 MVP also had eight rebounds and seven assists. Meanwhile, Westbrook scored 36 points on 13-of-23 shooting (56.5%), and the 2017 MVP added 10 rebounds and five assists.

The Celtics entered Tuesday with the league’s No. 3 defense in net rating, but the Rockets broke the game open with 69 points in the second half — including 38 in the fourth and final quarter.

The smaller Rockets only made 13-of-45 (28.9%) from 3-point range, but they made up for it by holding their own on the glass (45 to 48) versus the larger Celtics. All five starters had at least six rebounds, led by Westbrook with 10, and the Rockets also helped force 18 Boston turnovers.

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Eric Gordon did not play due to a bruised left leg, but he’s expected back when the Rockets next play on Feb. 20 at Golden State. With Gordon out, forwards Robert Covington and Danuel House Jr. each started and combined for 29 points and 16 rebounds, including five made 3-pointers.

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Starting center P.J. Tucker tallied just four points and six rebounds in 36 minutes, but thanks to his usual defensive contributions, the Rockets were a +21 in point differential during his 36 minutes. That was second-best on the roster, trailing only Harden’s +24 in 39 minutes.

The Celtics were led in defeat by 20 points, eight rebounds, and six rebounds from Gordon Hayward, along with 19 points from Jaylen Brown.

Harden and Westbrook are each slotted to play in Sunday’s All-Star Game at Chicago, while the rest of the Rockets have an off period of over a week before returning to play on Thursday, Feb. 20 at Golden State (12-42). That game tips off at 9:30 p.m. Central and is a national TNT broadcast.

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