CHARLOTTE, N. Adidas Supercolor Green .C. - The Houston Rockets hadnt been very good lately with Dwight Howard on the court, and downright lethal with him on the sidelines. But that all changed Monday night. James Harden stayed hot, Howard provided a boost on defence and the Rockets won their fourth straight game 100-89 to cool off the surging Charlotte Bobcats. Harden scored 31 points and Howard battled through foul trouble and a head cold he picked up over the weekend to chip in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, handing the Bobcats only their second loss in the last 11 games at home. Houston had lost three straight before Howard decided to sit out and rest a nagging ankle injury. The Rockets quickly started rolling without him, winning the next three games by an average of 23 points. "Dwight is a great talent and you figure a way to get him in," Harden said. "He didnt score the ball well tonight, but he had 10 rebounds and did so many other things, He held Al Jefferson to a fewer amount of points. It doesnt always show up in the stat sheet, but we know how important he is to our team." Jefferson still finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, but many of those came when Howard was sitting out after picking up a pair of offensive fouls — his third and fourth of the game — in the third quarter. "I was trying to play through (being sick) and the conditioning, but the important part is we got the win," Howard said. Terrence Jones added 18 points and seven rebounds in the victory and Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverly had backbreaking 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final two minutes to seal the victory. The Rockets (48-22) entered 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for third place in the Western Conference and riding a wave of confidence having shot 54.7 per cent during the recent three-game win streak. The turning point came late in the third quarter with the Bobcats leading 66-65. Harden took over, helping Houston close the quarter with a 13-2 run to build a double-digit lead. Harden scored 10 points during that crucial stretch, including a breakaway left-handed dunk and a fall away 3-pointer. He was fouled another 3-point attempt and sank all three shots. The Bobcats got to within five on a jumper by Jefferson in the lane, but Parsons and Beverly each hit 3s to push the lead to 98-87 with one minute left in the game. "Chandler made a really big transition 3 and Pat made a big 3 in the corner that kind of sealed the game," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. Kemba Walker had 22 points to lead Charlotte. The Bobcats (34-37) came in having won seven of their last 10 — including a 30-point victory over Portland on Saturday night — and looking to gain ground on Washington in the race for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But they shot just 37 per cent from the field. "The ball movement just wasnt the same tonight. We didnt have a James Harden," Jefferson said. Few teams do. At times, Harden was hitting step-back jump shots that not even the leagues best defenders could stop. Jefferson called Harden the best 1-on-1 player in the game. "He didnt do anything that surprised me tonight," Jefferson said. "Hes an amazing player." It was Hardens 18th 30-point game this season. "He just took over," McHale said. "Hes been fantastic and playing the right way. He had 31 (points) on 19 shots. And hes making the right play. Hes making great passes and he led us in assists" with five. NOTES: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Silver said he would like to see Charlotte host the NBA All-Star game in the near future. "The process is for them to apply. Weve had our events department down here to survey the building and there are some upgrades to the building that are needed. Part of the understanding is to assure the building remains state-of-the-art... but Id love to bring the All-Star game back here. Its a hotbed of basketball and the only thing they have to do is apply." ... Team owner Michael Jordan took in the game from the end of the Bobcats bench. ... Houston has won seven straight against Charlotte. ... Bobcats coach Steve Clifford picked up his seventh technical of the season. Nike Mens/Womens Roshe One Print Flower Series Running Shoes Black . He failed, so for the third, he shortened up, trying to protect the plate. That ball ended up going out and, boy, did the Arizona Diamondbacks need it. Mens Kevin Durant Kd 8 Nike EP Shoes Purple/Orange . The team announced on Thursday that it had agreed to the players request for a release.(Sports Network) - The Canucks may be having some issues scoring 5-on-5, but they showed in their last game just how dangerous their power play still is. Vancouver hopes to move above .500 on its current road trip as it visits the Los Angeles Kings, who try to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly three weeks this evening at Staples Center. The leagues highest-scoring team a season ago, the Canucks currently rank in the middle of the pack in even strength goals, but still possess the second- best power play in the NHL at 26.4 percent. That number got a big boost on Sunday in a 6-2 victory over Chicago, with Vancouver scoring five times on the man advantage. Henrik Sedin led the offense with a goal and three assists, while brother Daniel had a goal and two helpers. David Booth, Aaron Rome and Dan Hamhuis all scored with the man advantage as the Canucks moved to 2-2 on a six-game road trip that ends in Anaheim on Friday. "We havent been good enough 5-on-5 to win games," said Henrik Sedin. "But if we play good 5-on-5, our special teams will take care of us most games. It did tonight." Roberto Luongo made 38 saves to earn the win, which featured the first goals of the season by Booth and Rome. Booth also tallied his first goal in a Vancouver uniform, while Rome scored in his first game of the season after returning from a broken hand. "We played a great game," Luongo said. "Obviously the boys got up for this one. Nike Air Max Thea Mens/Womens Black White Flyknit Running Shoes. It was a big game for us." Defenseman Sami Salo missed his third game in a row with a sore groin, while Alexandre Burrows also missed Sundays big win with back spasms. Both players are doubtful for this game. The Kings play host to the Canucks two days after snapping an 0-3-2 skid with a win over the Predators. Simon Gagne was one of four different goal scorers and Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves in his first start since Oct. 25, turning aside 13 shots in the third period of a 4-3 victory. Defenseman Alec Martinez and Drew Doughty both scored their first goals of the season in the first period and Mike Richards added a goal in the opener of a four-game homestand. Jarret Stoll had two assists to reach the 300-point mark for his career. "It was an important win for us," said Doughty. "We really had to come out of that losing skid. We werent happy with the way we were playing throughout that time and to finally get the win tonight was huge." The Kings moved to 62-0-3 in their last 65 games when leading after two periods and tonight will try to win two straight for the first time since a four-game win streak from Oct. 15-22. The Canucks went 2-1-1 in their four meetings with the Kings last year and have won seven of the past 10 meetings overall. Their 3-1 victory in the last encounter at Staples Center on March 5 snapped a two-game series road losing streak. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale JerseysWholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
