As long as they have James Harden, it seems to be a working formula.
Harden scored 37 points, Jeremy Lin had 24 and the Rockets rallied from 20 points down in the third quarter to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-100 on Friday night.
Harden also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out eight assists for the Rockets, who rallied from a double-digit deficit to win for the 11th time this season.
The Rockets picked up their defense to rally this time, holding the Timberwolves to only 17 field goals after the break. Harden had 25 points in the second half as Houston outscored Minnesota 69-43.
"I kind of saw where we were all sluggish, especially in that first half," Harden said. "You just have to have that confidence to go out there and make plays and score the basketball, drop a couple passes off and work from there."
Derrick Williams and J.J. Barea scored 19 points apiece for the Timberwolves, who led 59-39 early in the third quarter. Minnesota blew a 14-point lead in another loss to Houston earlier this season.
"Houston got very aggressive and they took over the game," Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. "Houston obviously played much better in the second half."
But with a tougher schedule ahead, starting with Sunday's game against Golden State, the Rockets know they can't keep relying on second-half outbursts for victories.
"The first half was so frustrating, we can't afford to play like that," forward Chandler Parsons said. "We can't get down like that and fight back against many teams."
Houston started the game by making some history. The Rockets' first 3-pointer, hit by Parsons, was No. 705 on the season, tying the franchise record set by the 2006-07 team. Lin broke the mark two minutes later.
Source: ESPN
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