James Harden's triple-double powers Rockets to 8th straight win

TORONTO (AP) — James Harden had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 10th triple-double of the season, and the Houston Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors 129-122 on Sunday night for their eighth straight victory.

Montrezl Harrell added 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting in 25 minutes, and fellow reserve Eric Gordon had 19 points to help Houston win consecutive road games over the Raptors for the first time.

DeMar DeRozan had 36 points for the Raptors, setting a career high with his 18th 30-plus-point game of the season. DeMarre Carroll tied a career high with 26 points and set a career high with six 3-pointers on 10 attempts.

USA TODAY Sports' NBA triple-double tracker

Rockets ready to challenge Warriors and Spurs for West supremacy

Down 99-95 entering the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 15-0 run to take an 11-point lead. DeRozan's run of 12 consecutive points for the Raptors cut into that advantage, but Toronto could get no closer than five points.

While Harden had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, DeRozan led the way for the Raptors with 13 in the first quarter. He also started a 13-0 run from the 9:06 mark that took Toronto from a one-point deficit into a 12-point lead, eventually settling for a 37-27 edge after 12 minutes.

The Rockets began to eat into that lead toward the end of the second quarter, closing on a 12-2 run over the last 2:09 that closed the Raptors' lead to 63-61 at halftime, thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Trevor Ariza.

Ryan Anderson gave Houston the lead for the first time since the first quarter with a 3-pointer just 14 seconds into the second half. But Toronto responded by going on a 17-3 run to open up an 83-70 lead. However, another buzzer-beater, this time from Harden, cut the lead to 99-95 entering the fourth quarter.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Houston is 11-2 over its last 12 road games, and 15-6 on the road this season after going 18-23 away from the Toyota Center last season. ... The Rockets are 21-3 since losing to the Raptors at home on Nov. 23.

Raptors: After playing eight of the last 10 on the road, Toronto began a four-game homestand Sunday. ... Patrick Patterson (left knee) returned to the Raptors' lineup after missing four straight games.

OFF TARGET

Despite entering the game with 122 more made 3-pointers than any other NBA team and on a league-record run of 27 games with at least 10 3-pointers made, the Rockets shot only 2 of 17 from beyond the arc in the first half. However, they bounced back in the second half with nine more to extend their NBA-record streak to a 28th consecutive game with at least 10 3-pointers.

PITCHER REPORTS

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Aaron Sanchez was sitting courtside for Sunday's game, and received a personalized jersey from the Toronto mascot, the Raptor, who then threw Sanchez-autographed mini basketballs into the crowd.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host Charlotte on Tuesday night, looking for a 12th consecutive home win over the Hornets.

Raptors: Host Boston on Tuesday night, aiming for a third straight home win over the Celtics.