Houston 100, New Orleans 96

Rockets 100, Hornets 96: James Harden scored 30 points as host Houston nearly squandered a 21-point lead before barely holding off New Orleans.

Harden reached 30 points for the third time as he shot 10 of 20. Omer Asik collected 15 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double while Marcus Morris and Chandler Parsons contributed 13 apiece as the Rockets won despite shooting 34 percent in the second half

Greivis Vasquez scored a career-high 24 points for the Hornets, who nearly pulled off the comeback by outscoring Houston 51-36 in the second half. He hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final three minutes that brought New Orleans within 98-96 with 1:49 left after it trailed by 10 with 3:26 remaining, but Parsons had a clutch fadeaway with 1:05 to play and New Orleans misfired on three 3-pointers in the final minute

Ryan Anderson added 20 points but made just 2 of 10 from beyond the arc as New Orleans shot 40.5 percent overall.

Houston rebounded from Monday's three-point loss to Miami by taking control with a 39-point second quarter. The Rockets hit six 3-pointers in the period and took a 64-45 lead at halftime on Morris' buzzer-beating 3-pointer, but saw it sliced to 85-76 after allowing 31 points in the third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rockets G Toney Douglas had been 1-of-10 from beyond the arc before hitting four 3-pointers ... Hornets rookie G Austin Rivers rolled his ankle in practice Monday and although he started, he was 3-of-8 from the floor. ... Houston would have had a second buzzer-beating 3-pointer but Carlos Delfino had one waved off at the end of the first quarter. 

• Houston will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Rockets have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.
• New Orleans will play their next game at home against Oklahoma City. The Hornets have a W/L % of .250 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.