With James Harden getting double-teamed almost every time he had the ball Monday night against the Denver Nuggets, he looked for other Houston Rockets to step up and make plays.
Chief among them was Clint Capela, who set a career high with 31 points as the Rockets beat the Nuggets 125-113.
“He did what he was supposed to do,” said Harden, who had 32 points. “He finished. He played extremely well. Played hard.”
P.J. Tucker set a career high with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points to help Houston win for the 12th time in 14 games. Capela had 19 points by halftime as Harden fed him again and again.
“Whenever I’m under the rim and you put a little on me what’s going to happen is that 99 or 100 percent of the time I’m going to dunk the ball,” Capela said. “This is what happened tonight and I did a great job of finishing aggressive under the rim.”
Houston was up by 11 after two free throws by Torrey Craig with about 5 1/2 minutes left before Tucker and Harden made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to make it 117-100 about a minute later.
Gerald Green had 21 points and made six 3s on a night Houston made 22 3s for its sixth game this season with at least 20.
“We’re just a real tough team when we’re knocking down shots like that,” Green said.
Nikola Jokic scored 24 points for the Nuggets, who had a five-game winning streak snapped.
“Give them credit,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “You know Harden is going to get his, but when P.J. Tucker and Gerald Green score the amount of 3s that they made, I believe 13 combined, that’s a tough one to overcome.”
Harden had 14 assists, six 3-pointers and scored at least 30 points for the 13th straight game.
“He’s probably the hardest guy in the NBA to guard,” Malone said.
Coach Mike D’Antoni enjoys watching the different things Harden does to help his team win night after night.
“Whatever they throw at him, he’ll find the best play,” D’Antoni said. “He’ll also find a way to score. He’ll find his way, but he’ll also get everyone involved.”
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Malone said Will Barton (hip) is making progress and could return in the next couple of weeks. … Morris added 21 points off the bench.
Rockets: Houston traded Michael Carter-Williams and cash considerations to the Chicago Bulls on Monday for a protected second-round pick in the 2020 draft. The Bulls then waived the guard following the trade. … Chris Paul missed his eighth game in a row with a strained left hamstring. … Eric Gordon missed his fourth straight game with a bruised right knee.
UP NEXT
Nuggets: Visit the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.
AROUND THE NBA MONDAY
— The San Antonio Spurs have their longest winning streak of the season after knocking off the Pistons in Detroit. DeMar DeRozan poured in 26 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 25 as the Spurs earned a 119-107 victory. San Antonio trailed by nine until a 23-2 run bridging the first two quarters put the Spurs ahead, 45-33. It was the Spurs’ fifth straight win and the 1,221st of coach Gregg Popovich’s career. Popovich is tied with Jerry Sloan for third on the all-time wins list, behind only Don Nelson and Lenny Wilkens. San Antonio has won 13 of 17 since an 11-14 start.
— Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and the Bucks improved to 28-11 by topping the Jazz, 114-102. Malcolm Brogdon scored 21 and Thon Maker added a season-high 15 points off the bench for the league’s best team. Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 15 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost guard Ricky Rubio to a right hamstring injury less than five minutes into the game.
— Jusuf Nurkic had 20 points and eight rebounds to help the Trail Blazers win for the fourth time in five games, 111-101 over the Knicks. Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum had 17 points apiece for Portland, which is 3 1/2 games off the Northwest Division lead. Enes Kanter came off the bench with 18 points and 14 rebounds in New York’s ninth loss in 10 games.
— Kyrie Irving returned from a two-game absence to score a team-high 17 points and lead eight Celtics in double-figures during a 116-95 rout of the Nets. Irving was back on the court after scratching both corneas in a collision Dec. 31 at San Antonio. Brooklyn ended a three-game winning streak and lost for just the fourth time in 12 games despite Rodions Kurucs, who shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high 24 points.
— The Lakers outscored the Mavericks 32-13 in the third quarter and handed Dallas just its fourth loss in 20 home games, 107-97. Brandon Ingram scored 29 points and Lonzo Ball added 21 as the Lakers won for just the second time in seven games since LeBron James left the lineup with a groin injury. Rookie Luka Doncic scored 27 points for the Mavs, who committed 11 turnovers in the second half while shooting 11-for-43.
— De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and Sacramento snapped a four-game losing streak by thrashing Orlando, 111-95. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 15 points and seven assists for the Kings, who led by 28 going into the final period after blowing fourth-quarter leads in each game during their skid. Terrence Ross hit five 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Magic, losers in eight of its last eleven games.
— The Pelicans earned a 114-95 victory over sputtering Memphis as Anthony Davis contributed 36 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Second-year pro Frank Jackson scored a career-high 17 points for New Orleans, which has won two straight for the first time since a three-game run in mid-November. Mike Conley had 22 points and 10 assists in the Grizzlies’ sixth consecutive loss.