ESCAPE FROM BOSTON

Strong first half just enough to overcome horrible second half

James Harden played as bad of a basketball game as we've ever seen him play since he's been in Houston, going 4-21 from the field, but the Rockets found a way Friday night, holding on late to the 93-87 win over the Celtics in Boston. It's Houston's fourth straight win, improving their record to 33-14 on the season. The Rockets are 10-0 this year when they hold opponents to under 90 points. The Rockets led 60-42 at halftime, but fell completely apart in the third quarter, going 4-20 from the field, turning it over eight times and scoring just nine points. Harden (14 points) had a rough game, facing physical defense all night. Donatas Motiejunas stepped up, scoring a career-high 26 points to go with 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block. Up next, the Rockets head to Detroit where the boo birds will be waiting for Smith.