James Harden sparked both sides of his MVP debate by recording a triple-double Sunday in a 129-122 come-from-behind win over the Raptors.
The Rockets guard scored 40 points with 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but he also turned the ball over 10 times, showcasing the masterful yet most maddening sides to his game all at once. Harden became the first player to post a 40-point triple-double with 10 or more turnovers in a game since turnovers became an official stat in 1977-78.
Houston trailed Toronto by four points entering the fourth quarter, but Harden and Montrezl Harrell put the team on their backs.
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Harrell scored 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting off the bench. The second-year pro has tallied double figures in seven of his last 10 games.
DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 36 points, six rebounds and five assists. He needed more support from an ineffective Kyle Lowry, who managed just 12 points in 40 minutes.
The Rockets (30-9) have now won eight straight games. They look like legitimate title contenders under new coach Mike D'Antoni.
Stud of the night
Clippers point guard Chris Paul is back in action, and he's up to his old tricks. Paul scored 19 points with 18 assists and six rebounds in a 98-86 win over the Heat that wasn't even that close. Paul became just the 10th player in NBA history to reach 8,000 career assists. He did so in just 806 games, which is the third-fastest.
Dud of the night
John Henson, starting at center for the Bucks in a 107-101 loss to the Wizards, scored just two points with one rebound and zero blocks. The former North Carolina product was brought into the starting lineup for Greg Monroe this season. Monroe scored 12 points with 12 rebounds and four steals in Sunday's game. Henson's starting days could be numbered.
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Highlight
LeBron James' best point guard was in the stands:
Assist. #ThisIsWhyWePlay pic.twitter.com/dEdIAmcmCJ
— NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2017
James scored 28 points with eight rebounds in a 120-116 win over the Suns. Kyrie Irving added 27 points, and Kevin Love scored 25 points. Cleveland did not have newly acquired Kyle Korver because Mike Dunleavy Jr. had not yet passed a physical with Atlanta.
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What's next
Thunder (22-16) at Bulls (19-18), 8 p.m. ET — Jimmy Butler has been unstoppable lately, racking up points and joining the MVP conversation. Chicago still has its issues, but Butler's performances are making them relevant. Westbrook is always entertaining, it's just hard to predict which team he is going to help the most.