CHARLOTTE, N.C. — James Harden had 30 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, and the Houston Rockets dominated the second half for a 107-95 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night at the Spectrum Center.
Harden finished 8 of 21 from the field with four 3-pointers after hitting just 3 of 12 from the field in the first half. The Rockets won their third straight despite playing an eight-man rotation due to injuries. Patrick Beverley added 17 points for Houston, and Montrezl Harrell scored 15.
The Hornets lost for the eighth time in nine games. They were plagued by a season-worst 22 turnovers that the Rockets converted into 27 points. Nicolas Batum led Charlotte with 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
76ers 112, Magic 111
ORLANDO, Fla. — Rookie Dario Saric scored a career-high 24 points, and T.J. McConnell hit the winning layup with 5.8 seconds remaining as Philadelphia beat Orlando.
The Sixers snapped a five-game losing streak. The Magic lost their third consecutive game.
Evan Fournier led the Magic with 24 points and eight assists, and he pulled down nine rebounds. Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 11 rebounds. McConnell finished with eight points and eight assists, while Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points for the Sixers.