Houston, TX – James Harden notched his first-career triple- double to lead the Houston Rockets to a 109-95 win over the Charlotte Bobcats at Toyota Center.
Harden finished with 21 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. Chandler Parsons scored 24 points and pulled down 10 boards and Patrick Patterson scored 24 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter, for the Rockets, winners in four of their last five.
Omer Asik added 19 points and 15 rebounds in the triumph.
Kemba Walker scored 24 points and Ramon Sessions added 20 points and six assists for the Bobcats, losers in three straight and six of their last seven overall.
Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left in the fourth quarter after suffering a head and neck injury following a collision with teammate Jeff Taylor.
Kidd-Gilchrist was injured while attempting to block Toney Douglas' fastbreak layup. Kidd-Gilchrist was hit in the head and neck area from behind by the hip of Taylor, who also attempted to block Douglas on the play.
Kidd-Gilchrist, who was selected second overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, remained on the ground for several minutes before being removed from the court on a stretcher and was later taken to a local hospital in an ambulance.
The Bobcats released a statement well after the game and said Kidd-Gilchrist was alert and had movement in all extremities before leaving the Toyota Center. He underwent precautionary X-rays and a CT scan, all of which were negative for head and neck injuries. He does have a concussion and will remain hospitalized overnight for observation.
Houston held a slim, 79-77 lead entering the final frame, but the Bobcats used an 11-4 run to go up 88-83 with 8:38 left.
The Rockets, though, countered with a 16-11 swing to take a 99-93 lead with just over four minutes left.
The Bobcats would score just two points the rest of the way.
"I think everybody played well tonight. We had a stretch in that third quarter where we let them back into the game and they took advantage of it but we had to really lock down, especially the last seven or eight minutes of the game, to get the victory," Harden said.
Houston led 32-27 after the first period and took a 62-51 lead into the break.
Charlotte outscored the Rockets, 26-17, in the third period to pull within 79-77.
"On the boards it felt like they kind of got to us," Sessions said. "We were going small and trying to get them on the offensive end. We gave ourselves a chance. Teams like Houston, you have to jump on them early. I think we gave them the lead early in the first quarter and never got back to the way we needed it."
Game Notes
Houston outscored Charlotte, 58-32, in the paint ... The Rockets scored 21 points off of 13 Bobcats turnovers ... Harden set a career-high with 11 rebounds ... Charlotte's Gerald Henderson and Jeff Taylor scored 15 points apiece in the setback.
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