Harden has 35 as Rockets down Nuggets 130-104

HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden scored 35 points after missing the last game with an injury to lead the Houston Rockets to a 130-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

The Rockets were back to full strength after Harden missed his first game of the season because of a sprained right toe in a loss to New Orleans on Sunday. Clint Capela (bruised heel) and Russell Westbrook (load management) also returned after sitting out on Sunday in the 127-112 defeat.

Houston pushed a small lead to a big advantage with a 19-3 run to start the fourth quarter. The Rockets were up by 17 when Harden scored five quick points, with a 3-pointer, to make it 118-96 with about 3 1/2 minutes left and end his night and that of most of Houston’s starters.

Nikola Jokic scored 21 points for the Nuggets, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Westbrook had 28 points for his 11th straight games with 20 or more points, which is the longest streak by a Rockets player besides Harden since Yao Ming did it in 14 games in a row in 2006.

The Nuggets used a 37-point third quarter to cut the lead to three entering the fourth, but the Rockets scored the first 12 points of the fourth to make it 104-89 with about 9 minutes left. Ben McLemore had two 3-pointers to power that spurt.

Denver got its first points of the quarter on a 3 by Torrey Craig after that. Houston then scored the next seven points, capped by a 3 from Harden to stretch the lead to 111-92 midway through the period.

The Rockets were up by 12 after a 3-pointer by Harden with about 7 minutes left in the third quarter. Jokic then scored four quick points to cut the lead to 78-70 midway through the quarter.

Houston remained up by eight later in the third when Harden, who had six 3-pointers, made three free throws to push it to 86-75.

The Rockets had pushed the lead to 10 with about 3 minutes left in the third before the Nuggets used an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 92-89 entering the fourth. Malik Beasley led the Nuggets in that stretch, scoring five points capped by a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left.

TIP-INS

Nuggets: Paul Millsap had 13 points and nine rebounds in his return after missing two games with a bruised left knee. … Denver made 8 of 25 3-pointers. … Monte Morris added 18 points off the bench.

Rockets: Eric Gordon scored 12 points in his second game back after sitting out for about six weeks following arthroscopic knee surgery. … Capela had 16 points and 10 rebounds after missing the last two games with his injury.

UP NEXT

Nuggets: Visit Indiana on Friday night in the second game of a five-game trip.

Rockets: Host 76ers on Friday night.