SAN ANTONIO - James Harden scored 28 points and Dwight Howard had 15 points and 20 rebounds, leading the balanced Houston Rockets to a 111-98 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Dennis Johnson Celtics Jersey . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. Chandler Parsons and Terrence Jones each scored 21 points for the Rockets (19-11), who shot 52 per cent from the field. Jeremy Lin had 13 points, eight assists and just one turnover. The Spurs have dropped two of three and split their last six games. They are just 3-6 over the last month against teams with a record above .500. Super sub Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 22 points, and Tim Duncan added 11 points and 14 rebounds. Kawhi Leonard had 13 points, but Tony Parker was held to six points on 3-for-11 shooting. San Antonio never recovered after Houston raced out to a 27-9 lead. The Spurs were unable to stop Parsons long shots, Hardens drives, Howard in the paint or Jones on the boards for follow ups. After trailing by 18 points in the first half, San Antonio made a couple of charges in the second half but couldnt get the defensive stops necessary to complete the rallies. Leonards three-point play on Howards fourth foul pulled San Antonio to 71-64 with 4:47 left in the third. The Spurs closed to 73-71 before Harden and Lin began draining long jumpers to help the Rockets pull away again. Harden closed out the victory, scoring 16 points in the final quarter. His second 3 of the game made it 100-90 with 5 minutes remaining. NOTES: Rockets G Patrick Beverley (right hand) and C Omer Asik (thigh contusion) missed the game. . Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones sat courtside, a row in front of David Robinsons customary seats. The actor laughed and applauded when The Coyote, the Spurs mascot, snuck beside him disguised as a Christmas tree. . Terrence Jones pushed Matt Bonner after the Spurs reserve forward wrapped up Howard high after the Rockets star grabbed his third offensive rebound on one possession. Duncan stepped between, putting his hand in Jones chest and pushing him away before officials broke up the gathering. . While the Rockets got smatterings of cheers throughout the game, Howard was lustily booed whenever he attempted a free throw or entered the game. Marcus Morris Celtics Jersey . The Toronto Maple Leafs were holding a news conference, so they got curious. It didnt take long for them to find out via social media that coach Randy Carlyle was coming back — with a two-year extension — and assistants Greg Cronin, Scott Gordon and Dave Farrish were being let go. Reggie Lewis Celtics Jersey . -- The Atlanta Braves added to their extensive wave of long-term deals with their young stars on Sunday by agreeing to a $42 million, four-year contract with All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel.PORTLAND, Ore. -- Just when it appeared Portland was cruising to a victory that would avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season, Torontos DeMar DeRozan put a scare into the Trail Blazers. Holding a 16-point lead with 7:41 remaining, Portland suddenly had to mount a rally of its own, hitting four free throws during the final 11.8 seconds to pull out a 106-103 win Saturday night. LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points and 15 rebounds and Damian Lillard hit a go-ahead free throw with 11.8 seconds left to help end the Blazers two-game losing streak. Lillard and Wesley Matthews scored 21 points apiece for Portland and Nicolas Batum added 18. DeRozan was a one-man wrecking crew down the stretch, scoring 30 of his 36 points during the second half. DeRozan, who also had 12 assists, scored 16 points during the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. The fourth-year All-Star guard had a hand in 22 of Torontos 26 second-half baskets, with 12 field goals and 10 assists. Kyle Lowry added 23 points for Toronto. The dramatic win helped Portland end its worst offensive slump of the season. The Blazers, the NBAs top scoring team at 108.4 points, came into Saturday having scored season lows of 81 and 88 points in their past two games. Aldridge said there wasnt a sense of relief despite the hair-raising finish. "We know that we had control from the beginning so it was just about staying solid the whole game and trying to close it out. We did that," Aldridge said. Matthews said after losing back-to-back games, to Golden State and Memphis, "this was a must-win game, and that was the sense of urgency we took into shootaround and the urgency we start the game with." DeRozan and the Raptors nearly spoiled Portlands breakout game. Trailing 57-40 at halftime and by as many as 19 points during the second half, Toronto made a prolonged charge at Portland. During the third quarter, the Raptors got as close as six points before Portland hit four 3-pointers during a four-minute stretch to regain a double-digit lead. Then DeRozan led Toronto on a fourth-quarter rally, when a 16-2 run over a five-minute stretch gave the Raptors a 103-102 lead on two free throwws by DeRozan. Aron Baynes Celtics Jersey. "He was voted an All-Star for a reason. Hes capable of getting hot and carrying a team," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. Despite the near-comeback, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said the Raptors were sunk from a poor first half. "It wasnt us. We picked it up in the second half, but you cant spot a good team like Portland that many points and expect to survive," Casey said. With Portland trailing for the first time in the game, Lillard went on the offensive, drawing a foul while driving to the basket with 11.8 seconds left. Lillard hit both free throws to give the Blazers the lead, then Portlands defence stepped up when Matthews forced DeRozan into a turnover. Matthews said all he could think about during the final few minutes was making a play to stop DeRozan. "We blew a 20-point lead, and we did a similar thing when we played out there in Toronto. DeRozan made tough plays, the rest of the team make tough plays. We just got the timely stop we needed," Matthews said. Batum hit two free throws with 0.1 seconds left to seal the win. At the games outset, the Blazers got their sluggish offence going by turning up their defence, holding Toronto to 35 per cent shooting (14 of 40) during the first half. Aldridge kick-started Portlands performance with 12 points and 11 rebounds during the first quarter to stake Portland to a 31-19 lead. Helped by two Portland technical fouls, Toronto went on a 10-2 run midway through the second quarter to cut the deficit to 43-34. But Lillard went to work, punctuating a 12-point second quarter with a driving windmill dunk to put the Blazers in front 50-36. NOTES: Toronto reserve guard Greivis Vasquez missed Saturdays game with flu-like symptoms. Vasquez, acquired from Sacramento in a Dec. 9 trade, is averaging eight points and 4.5 rebounds a game for the Raptors. . Aldridges 11 first-quarter rebounds is one short of the franchise record for a quarter, held by three different players. . Portland is one of five NBA teams not to lose three consecutive games this season. . The Blazers won their sixth consecutive game in Portland over Toronto. The Raptors last won in Portland in 2006. 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