Harden scores 28, Rockets beat Pelicans 113-90

James Harden scored 28 points in a little less than 29 minutes, and the Houston Rockets downed the New Orleans Pelicans 113-90 on Sunday night.

Chris Paul had 10 points and 13 assists, and Eric Gordon added 18 points for the Rockets, who hit 21 3s in winning for the fifth time in six games to move a game ahead of Portland for the third seed in the Western Conference.

Anthony Davis had 12 points and 10 rebounds in just less than 21 minutes for the short-handed Pelicans, who lost for the eighth time in nine games. Frank Jackson scored 19 and Julius Randle 15 for New Orleans, which fell behind by double digits early and struggled throughout to keep pace with a contending Rockets squad trying to sharpen up for the postseason.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is defended by Houston Rockets guard James Harden, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP PhotoTyler Kaufman)

Houston connected on seven 3s in the first quarter alone and the Rockets' lead surpassed 20 points when a driving layup by former New Orleans first-round draft pick Austin Rivers made it 43-22 less than three minutes into the second quarter.

New Orleans trimmed its deficit back to 16 late in the period, only to watch Harden hit his fifth 3 and score his 21st point seconds before halftime, giving the Rockets a 63-44 lead.

The Pelicans briefly got as close as 14 points on Randle's layup early in the third quarter, but Gordon came back with a 3 and Harden added a driving floater and another 3 during an 8-0 run that pushed the lead back above 20.

New Orleans Pelicans guard Frank Jackson (15) passes the ball in front of Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Sunday, March 24, 2019. (AP PhotoTyler Kaufman)

Houston led by as many as 28 before it was over.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Kenneth Faried had 11 points and 11 rebounds. ... Gordon checked out less than two minutes into the opening period, appearing to favor his right ankle. He returned with 6:51 to go in the first quarter and wound up playing 21 minutes. ... Six Rockets players scored at least 10 points, including Danuel House Jr. with 14 and P.J. Tucker with 11. ... Houston outrebounded New Orleans 51-44 and shot 48.8 percent (42 of 86). More than half of the Rockets' field goals (49) were taken from 3-point range, and they scored just 36 of their points in the paint.

Pelicans: Guard Jrue Holiday missed his eighth straight game with a strained abdomen. The Pelicans have seven games remaining. ... Guard E'Twaun Moore, who has a bruised left quadriceps, also missed his eighth straight game. ... New Orleans shot 41.3 percent (38 of 92) and went 7 of 28 from 3-point range while scoring 54 points in the paint. .... New Orleans narrowly eclipsed its season low of 88 points in a game. ... Stanley Johnson scored 13 points.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Visit Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Pelicans: Host Atlanta on Tuesday.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 31 points and 14 rebounds, Jalen Suggs added 24 points and the Orlando Magic handed Cleveland the worst playoff loss in franchise history, winning 121-83 on Thursday night to cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 2-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Franz Wagner finished with 16 points and eight assists for the Magic, who led by 43 points in the fourth quarter on the way to the third-largest margin of victory in a playoff game. They earned their first playoff victory since 2019 and the first on their home floor since April 26, 2011.

They can even the series with a victory at home Sunday.

Jarrett Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 39% from the field and 23.5% from 3-point range. Caris LeVert added 15 points and Donovan Mitchell had 13 points and seven assists.

76ERS 125, KNICKS 114

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid scored 50 points, making all four 3-point attempts and scoring 18 in a potential series-shifting third quarter to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Embiid boldly stated “we’re going to win this series” after the 76ers dropped Game 2.

With one of the finest postseason efforts of his career, Embiid became the third player to ever score 50 points against the Knicks in the postseason and kept the hope of a Philadelphia series comeback very much alive.

The Knicks lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Sunday in Philadelphia.

Embiid was 13 of 19 from the floor overall, made 19 of 21 free throws and hit five 3-pointers.

NUGGETS 112, LAKERS 105

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aaron Gordon had 29 points and 15 rebounds, Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, and Denver moved to the brink of the second round with a victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their first-round series..

Jamal Murray scored 22 points as the defending NBA champion Nuggets won their 11th consecutive meeting with LeBron James and the Lakers in dominating style.

Michael Porter Jr. added 20 points for Denver, which took control in the third quarter and cruised through the final minutes to its fifth straight road win over Los Angeles, starting with its sweep of last season’s Western Conference finals.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Los Angeles. No NBA team has ever rallied from an 0-3 playoff deficit.

Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony (50) makes a shot as he gets past Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)