SACRAMENTO, Calif. — James Harden scored 12 of his 44 points in overtime, and the Houston Rockets rallied from five points down in the final minute of regulation to steal a 113-109 victory against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena on Thursday night.
Harden scored the Rockets’ first nine points of the extra session, and he finished with 33 after halftime as Houston (17-5) avoided its second two-game losing streak of the season. The star guard connected on 14 of 32 shots and added eight assists.
Forward Trevor Ariza and guard Patrick Beverley each had 15 points, and forward Donatas Motiejunas added 14 points for the Rockets, who fell behind 18-7 in the first quarter and didn’t lead until guard Troy Daniels’ 3-pointer put them ahead 80-78 with 6:46 to go in regulation.
Guard Darren Collison had 24 points and seven assists, and guard Ben McLemore scored 21 points for Sacramento, which fell below .500 for the first time this season. The Kings (11-12) have lost seven of nine overall and are 2-5 during an 11-game stretch in which they play 10 at home.
Sacramento has played all seven of those contests without center DeMarcus Cousins, who sat out again with viral meningitis. Rockets center Dwight Howard missed his 11th consecutive game because of right knee tendinitis. Without him, the Rockets are 8-3.
Howard told reporters at Thursday’s shootaround that he expects to play Saturday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.
Kings forward Derrick Williams scored 17 points, and his 3-pointer from the wing broke a 90-90 tie with 1:32 left in regulation. Forward Jason Thompson hit two free throws on the ensuing position, putting Sacramento ahead 95-90 with 57 seconds left.
Ariza hit two free throws on Houston’s next possession, and Harden connected from 26 feet on the right wing arc with 20.1 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Harden then scored on a driving layup, knocked down another 3-pointer from the wing, and two more layups during a 9-1 Houston run to start overtime.
Forward Rudy Gay scored 13 points for Sacramento but made just four of 18 shots from the field. Forward Jason Thompson added 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Kings.
NOTES: Rockets F James Harden played a night after back spasms plagued him during Houston’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. Harden averaged 32.8 points in his four previous games against Sacramento. … Without C DeMarcus Cousins in the lineup, Kings F Rudy Gay was averaging 22.6 points per game and had lifted his scoring average a half-point to 21.6 points a game. The King played their ninth straight game without having Gay and Cousins on the court together; Gay missed two games before Cousins’ illness. … In their first 22 games, Sacramento held opponents to 41 percent shooting in 11 wins and 47.3 percent shooting in 11 losses. Houston shot 40 percent Thursday.