James Harden scored 28 points, and he cashed a three with 34 seconds left and then followed that up with a poke steal of a red-hot Victor Oladipo to help send the Houston Rockets to a 98-94 victory over the Indiana Pacers for their third consecutive victory.
The Rockets started the game off hot, getting to the bucket and draining three-pointers in a vintage display of their basketball philosophy, but the Pacers, a fine defensive squad, really turned up the heat in the second and third quarters.
In fact, they forced 8 Houston turnovers in the third period while allowing the Rockets just 6 field goals in the quarter to take a 75-69 lead into the fourth.