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With Dwight Howard out indefinitely, James Harden stepped up late to help the Houston Rockets beat one of their in-state rivals and end a two-game skid.

The New York Knicks probably don't consider defeating the only winless club in the NBA to be ideal preparation for a challenging three-game trip.

Harden and the Rockets play the third of a five-game homestand Monday night, while the Knicks will try to end a five-game road losing streak.

Howard is sidelined for an undetermined period after undergoing platelet-rich plasma therapy on his strained right knee. Though Howard reportedly has said he feels better, losing his 18.8 points and team-leading 11.3 rebounds per game will force several players -- Harden and Trevor Ariza in particular -- to pick up the slack.

After Houston (10-3) opened the homestand Wednesday with a 98-92 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in its first game without its premier big man, it was close to another loss against Dallas on Saturday before Harden took over.

Trailing 92-88 with under a minute remaining, Harden hit three free throws and a bucket to put the Rockets ahead and added a crucial steal which led to a pair of free throws by Ariza that sealed the 95-92 victory.

"Defensively I just tried to lock in," said Harden, who had 32 points. "I think everybody did a good job of locking down no matter if we were making shots or not."

Despite Howard's absence, the Rockets -- second in the league at 92.2 points allowed per game -- forced the Mavericks to shoot 39.8 percent and 6 of 35 from 3-point range.

The defense was key since Houston also shot poorly, finishing at 36.6 percent. The Rockets took a season-high 46 3-point attempts, hitting 15, to mark the second time they took at least 40 this season.

In all but four of their games, the Rockets have attempted 34 or more and lead the NBA with 445 -- 66 more than second-place Dallas.

"We're going to have to take those shots," coach Kevin McHale said. "We don't have a lot of slashers."

Houston won both meetings with the Knicks (4-10) last season and may need to maintain some defensive focus against Carmelo Anthony after he shot 27 of 53 in those contests.

Anthony had 45 points in a 109-106 home loss to Houston on Nov. 14, 2013 -- his second-highest total of the season behind the Knicks-record 62 he had Jan. 24 against Charlotte.

Harden's numbers in the series were right up there with Anthony's. The Rockets guard was a combined 19 for 36 from the field, hit seven of his 16 3-point attempts and 28 of 30 free throws for an average of 36.5 points in the two games.

The Knicks dropped Philadelphia to 0-13 with a 91-83 victory Saturday that ended a two-game slide.

"You don't want to give a team like that no type of edge, no type of confidence, because when you do it can be a dangerous night for you," Anthony said.

Amare Stoudemire had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while point guard Jose Calderon made his season debut for New York with three points and three assists in 21 minutes.

Acquired from Toronto in the offseason, Calderon had been sidelined since the preseason with a strained right calf.

Forward Andrea Bargnani remains out after straining his right calf in practice Friday.

The Knicks, who also face Dallas and Oklahoma City on their trip, have lost five road games in a row since winning at Cleveland on Oct. 30.

JetLife wrote:I would like to congratulate McHale on the job he's doing so far this season with all the injuries. Although everyone wants to see more of Cannan and Daniels. ISO ball has decreased majorly.


Sent from the Villain

MKL wrote:This should be a freebie for HOU. Even McHale can't mess this up.