Sports
Houston Rockets 17-Game Win Streak Ends
However, the Warriors lost as well. The race for the top seed in the Western Conference is getting interesting.
For those who turned off the Houston Rockets game during the first half Friday night, you'd be surprised how it ended. No, the Rockets didn't beat the Toronto Raptors in the 108-105 loss. Sure, the loss snapped Houston's 17-game winning streak, the longest in the NBA this season. But the fact it was close should give you optimism.
In the first quarter at the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors looked like they were throwing tiny spitballs into a giant trash can while the Rockets couldn't hit the broad side of the Canadian border. The Raptors (48-17), the best team in the Eastern Conference, took a commanding 32-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. They extended their lead to 20 points and looked far superior.
Houston (51-14) chipped away in the second half to make it close, but it was too little, too late. Rockets guard James Harden once again looked like the league's best player, knocking down a game-high 40 points behind 68 percent shooting and draining four buckets from behind the arc.
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Clint Capela had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Rockets. Chris Paul and Eric Gordon each scored 14 points, and Trevor Ariza had 13 as Houston's road winning streak ended at 10.
Houston tied it at 102 on Harden's 3 with 2:10 remaining, but DeRozan restored Toronto's lead with a jump shot with 1:49 left.
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Paul missed a go-ahead 3 with 14 seconds to play, then fouled Kyle Lowry in the scramble for the rebound. Lowry made both, giving the Raptors a 106-102 lead with 10 seconds to go.
Good news for Rockets fans is that the Golden State Warriors lost last night as well, 125-108, to the Portland Trail Blazers. That keeps the Rockets in the lead by a half game over the Warriors (51-15) in the Western Conference. Portland (40-26) is this in the Western Conference, 11.5 games behind the Rockets.
Houston visits Dallas Sunday with a 6 p.m. tipoff. The Rockets return to Houston for a game Monday against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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