NBA wrap: Harden leads Rockets to seventh straight win, Clippers downs Hawks

James Harden recorded his fifth 40-plus point scoring effort during Houston's seven-game winning streak, posting 49 in a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Houston Rockets star James Harden.

James Harden recorded his fifth 40-plus point scoring effort during Houston's seven-game winning streak, posting 49 in a victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Hamstrung by a roster depleted by injuries, Harden took a career-high 41 shots. He finished 8 of 22 on 3-pointers and added five rebounds and six assists over 39 minutes.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 11 points in the first half but struggled to contain Harden. It  also missed the production of its second-leading scorer, forward Andrew Wiggins, who missed his second consecutive game (personal reasons). Karl-Anthony Towns paired 27 points with 15 rebounds to pace the Timberwolves.

 

Atlanta Hawks 101-150 Los Angeles Clippers

Paul George scored 37 points in only 20 minutes, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 150-101 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night despite playing without Kawhi Leonard.

George, who scored 25 points in the first half, converted 10 of 17 shots from the floor overall, including 6 of 11 3-pointers. He made all 11 of his free throws.

George, who scored 33 points in his season debut Thursday in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, is 21 of 21 from the line in two games.

Lou Williams, who made 15 of 15 free throws, had 25 points off the bench for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Jerome Robinson contributed 21 points, and Montrezl Harrell had 17, helping the Clippers' bench outscore the Hawks' reserves 81-35.

Trae Young led the Hawks with 20 points to go along with six assists. Young, though, hit just 4 of 16 shots from the floor. De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish each had 12 points, and Jabari Parker, Damian Jones and Evan Turner chipped in 11 apiece for Atlanta.

 

Mavericks 110, Raptors 102

Luka Doncic had 26 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, and Dallas defeated visiting Toronto to snap a two-game losing streak.

Kristaps Porzingis added 20 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Seth Curry and former Raptor Delon Wright each had 15 points, while Maxi Kleber and Dorian Finney-Smith each scored 10.

Normal Powell led the Raptors with a season-best 26 points, and Fred VanVleet added 24. Pascal Siakam had 15 points and seven assists, and Matt Thomas had 10 points as Toronto completed a 3-2 road trip.