NBA: James Harden reaches 20,000 points, Houston Rockets rout Minnesota Timberwolves

Houston: James Harden scored 32 points in three quarters to surpass 20,000 and the Houston Rockets rolled to a 139-109 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_7894361” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) looks to pass the ball under pressure from Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22). AP[/caption] Houston led by double figures for most of the game and used a huge run in the third quarter to put it out of reach and bounce back after a lopsided loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday night. Harden is the 45th player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points and the seventh-youngest. He entered the game 10 points away and reached the milestone in fitting fashion, on a step-back 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. He also had 12 rebounds and eight assists. Already without Clint Capela because of a bruised heel, the Rockets lost fellow starter P.J. Tucker early in the first quarter when he fell hard on his right shoulder. But Houston was just fine without them thanks to another big game from Harden and a 30-point performance by Russell Westbrook. Josh Okogie had 16 points for Minnesota. Karl-Anthony Towns remained out with a left knee sprain that has had him sidelined since mid-December. CELTICS 140, PELICANS 105 Boston: Jayson Tatum made six 3-pointers and had career-high 41 points to help Boston snap a season-high, three-game losing streak. Enes Kanter added 22 points, Gordon Hayward had 19, and Kemba Walker finished with 17 points and seven assists. Boston shot 14 of 29 from the 3-point line and tied a season high for points. Frank Jackson scored 22 points for New Orleans. Jaxson Hayes added 20. BULLS 108, PISTONS 99 Detroit: Zach LaVine scored 25 points and Chicago held off Detroit to snap a six-game losing streak. Already without injured Blake Griffin, the Pistons lost Andre Drummond when he was ejected early in the third quarter. Drummond threw the ball off the back of Daniel Gafford’s head. The exchange also resulted in a technical foul on Gafford. Luke Kornet scored 15 points for the Bulls, and Lauri Markkanen and Gafford added 14 each. Derrick Rose led the Pistons with 20 points. LAKERS 125, THUNDER 110 Oklahoma City: Kyle Kuzma scored a season-high 36 points and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled past the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-110 without stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James had a chest cold. James is averaging 25.4 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists and 8.7 rebounds and has helped the Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference. Davis, who leads the Lakers with 27.1 points per game, missed his second straight game with a gluteus maximus contusion. It didn’t matter. Kuzma, in just his third start of the season, made 15 of 24 shots. Rajon Rondo added 21 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers. Los Angeles shot 51.5% to win its eighth in a row. James played Friday night and had 35 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in a win in Dallas. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari each scored 24 points for the Thunder. MAVERICKS 109, 76ERS 91 Dallas: Luka Doncic had 19 points and 12 assists, Dwight Powell scored 10 of his 19 points in a decisive third quarter in Dallas’ victory over Philadelphia. Powell was 5 of 6 from the field and had four of his season-high 12 rebounds in the third quarter, when the Mavericks outscored the 76ers 32-16 to turn a nine-point deficit into a 73-66 lead that grew to a 21-point margin in the fourth. Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the 76ers. Philadelphia played its second game without Joel Embiid. The star center is sidelined after surgery for a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand. It was Dallas’ seventh straight game, and possibly last, without its big man, Kristaps Porzingis. The 7-foot-3 Latvian has been out with right knee soreness, not the same knee he injured in his final game with the New York Knicks. CAVALIERS 113, NUGGETS 103 Denver: Kevin Love had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead Cleveland past Denver. Collin Sexton finished with 25 points, and Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland in its second straight victory. The Nuggets trailed by as many as 17 and were down 14 to start the fourth before outscoring the Cavaliers 25-10, led by Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, before Cleveland recovered. Murray finished with 24 points, and Jokic had 19. BUCKS 122, TRAIL BLAZERS 101 Portland: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points and 17 rebounds, Khris Middleton scored 30 points and Milwaukee beat Portland. Eric Bledsoe added 29 points for the Bucks. They made 14 3-pointers, with Middleton going 4 for 4. Damian Lillard led Portland with 26 points, CJ McCollum had 20 and Carmelo Anthony added 19 points and 11 rebounds. The Trail Blazers have lost eight of 10.