Harden spurs Thunder past Rockets 122-104

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Kevin Durant scored 25 points, James Harden added a spark with 23 points off the bench while returning from an injury and the Oklahoma City Thunder ended a string of futility against the Houston Rockets with a 122-104 victory on Wednesday night.

The Thunder got out to a sizzling start and opened a 23-point lead within the first 14 minutes. Their lead was never in jeopardy against a Houston team desperately needing a late charge to make the playoffs.

Instead, Oklahoma City used its second-best shooting performance of the season to take a big step toward solidifying its spot in the postseason.

Luis Scola scored 25 and Trevor Ariza added 20 points for Houston, which fell seven games behind Oklahoma City and 5ˆ½ behind eighth-place Portland in the Western Conference with a dozen games left.

Oklahoma City snapped a 13-game losing streak against Houston that had been the Rockets' longest against any opponent in franchise history. Houston's last loss in the series came on April 4, 2006, in Seattle.

The return of Harden provided a huge boost for the Thunder, who went 3-3 while their top-scoring bench player was out with a strained right hamstring and dropped into the seventh spot in the West.

Harden poured in 13 points in his first 5 minutes off the bench, including the final eight points in a 14-0 surge by the Thunder that spanned the break between the first and second quarters. Harden converted a fast-break layup and then added back-to-back 3-pointers and a pair of free throws.

His 3-pointer a few moments later completed his 4-for-4 start and put Oklahoma City up 50-27 with 10:18 left before halftime.

The Thunder made 25 of their first 30 shots, for an 83 percent conversion rate, and led by as many as 24 during their highest-scoring half of the season. Houston closed back within 13 following a 16-5 response and trailed 74-57 at halftime, but never got closer than 15 in the second half.

While Oklahoma City had its bench replenished, the Rockets were playing without reserves Shane Battier, Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries, and had to bring in reinforcements from the NBA Development League by calling up Jermaine Taylor and signing Mike Harris for the rest of the season.

Kyle Lowry had 13 of his 15 points in the first half, but the rest of Houston's depleted bench did little to offset Harden's spectacular return on a night that saw Oklahoma City score its second-most points this season and make a season-best 47 field goals on 59 percent shooting.

NOTES: Thunder G Russell Westbrook has planned a celebrity bowling tournament for Saturday night, featuring his Thunder teammates along with Reggie Wayne and Cato June from the Indianapolis Colts. The event will benefit the Oklahoma City Urban Youth Scholarship Fund. ... Oklahoma City took a 94-93 lead in the all-time series. ... Only five days earlier, the Thunder set what had been their highest-scoring half of the season with 71 first-half points against Toronto.