s after breaking his right shin Nov. 11, also had an assist

[blueberryjerry]

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork. .com) - James Harden nearly recorded a triple-double and the Houston Rockets used a fast start to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder, 112-101, on Thursday night. Harden led six Rockets in double figures with 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. I think we played fast (and) defensively we really locked in, Harden said. Offensively, we shared the basketball. Guys got open shots and (they) had the confidence to knock them down. Trevor Ariza totaled 17 points and Donatas Motiejunas had 14 for Houston, which has won five of its last six. Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley and Josh Smith each contributed 13 points to the victory. Kevin Durant paced the Thunder with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Russell Westbrook, Dion Waiters and Reggie Jackson scored 16 points apiece. Oklahoma City had not played since last Friday and dropped its third game in four tries. Weve struggled before and weve got out of it, Durant said. We dont make no excuses and we figure it out. Both teams shot under 30 percent in the last meeting, a forgettable 69-65 Rockets victory on Nov. 16 in a game Durant and Westbrook were absent from the OKC lineup. Houston used relentless effort during a strong opening quarter in this one and jumped all over the Thunder from the onset. Harden looked to get a lift playing his former club, scoring the first seven points for the Rockets as part of a 23-2 run early in the first. Oklahoma City made the first two field goals of the game, then did not register another successful basket until the newly acquired Waiters hit a bank shot at 5:20 which closed the gap to 23-9. Harden netted 15 points in Houstons highest-scoring quarter of the season as it grabbed a 40-18 advantage entering the second. Durant scored 15 of his 16 first-half points in the second quarter and helped the Thunder cut a 26-point deficit to 64-53 at the break. The Rockets maintained a double-digit lead throughout the third and brought an 88-75 edge into the fourth. Houston led 88-78 early in the fourth when Smith converted a pair of buckets inside during a 12-0 run that put the game out of reach. Game Notes OKC has been held under 100 points in four straight games on the heels of reaching the century mark in three straight -- two wins ... The win was Rockets coach Kevin McHales 200th career ... Durant had a game-high three blocks ... Serge Ibaka finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss ... Houston shot 16-of-36 from beyond the arc. . In a matter of days, he went from unwanted to wanted, from fired to hired, from discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles with reputation tarnished to rock star treatment and a new fat contract from the Washington Redskins. . Arsenal had already scored its goals in the third round fixture when the fierce rivalry turned ugly in the final ten minutes as Walcott was being carried off on a stretcher. . Span, Danny Espinosa and Adam LaRoche had two hits apiece as Washington won the final two games of the series. The Nationals improved to 3-7 against Atlanta. They increased their division lead over the Braves to 1 1/2 games.TAMPA, Fla. -- Steven Stamkos scored his first goal since returning from a major injury, Ryan Callahan had his first goal with Tampa Bay, and the Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 5-4 on Thursday night. Stamkos gave Tampa Bay a 5-2 lead from the low left circle during a power play at 10:47 of the third. The Lightning star, playing in his fourth game since missing 45 games after breaking his right shin Nov. 11, also had an assist after three pointless games. Callahan scored from in-close to put the Lightning up 3-2 at 12:04 of the second. The Lightning obtained the right wing from the New York Rangers for former captain Martin St. Louis at the trade deadline. Tampa Bay, which had lost five straight (0-3-2) also got goals from Sami Salo, Michael Kostka and Tyler Johnson. Goalie Ben Bishop won his 30th game this season. Tomas Fleischmann, Quinton Howden, Scottie Upshall and Brandon Pirri scored for the Panthers, who have lost 11 of 14. Upshall and Pirri scored in the final 1:05 to get Florida to 5-4. Johhnson made it 4-2 with 1:07 left in the second when he sent the puck into the slot and it deflected off Florida defenceman Ed Jovanovski and past goalie Dan Ellis. . Stamkos assisted on Johnsons goal. The teams both scored twice in the first 8:18 of the game. Florida, which entered last in road power play at 6.5 per cent (8 for 124) converted its first chance on Fleischmanns goal at 1:44. After Salo tied it at 5:38, Howden put the Panthers up 2-1 on his first NHL goal, coming from the low left circle just 12 second later. Kostka tied it at 2 at 8:18. NOTES: It was Stamkos first goal since Nov. 9 against Detroit. ... Lightning C Valtteri Filppula had three assists. ... Ellis, acquired from Dallas for Tim Thomas on March 5, made his Panthers debut. ... It was Howdens first NHL game this season and 19th overall. He was recalled from San Antonio of the AHL Wednesday. ... Florida LW Sean Bergenheim didnt play due to a lower body injury. ... Salo (lower body) and teammate Radko Gudas (left leg) both played. ' ' '

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