NBA wrap: James Harden continues scoring tear; Rockets top Raptors in Houston | NBA

The Rockets are still rolling.

It’s no secret Houston has been undermanned because of injuries, but it managed a 121-119 win against Toronto on Friday.

James Harden continued his impressive scoring streak, totaling 35 points on the night. This marked his 22nd consecutive game with at least 30 points.

Kenneth Faried was recently signed by the Rockets after the Nets bought out his contract. The undersized forward recorded 21 points and 14 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting in his third game with the Rockets and came up big in the clutch. 

Kawhi Leonard returned to the Raptors after resting for four games and put up 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists. A bizarre series of events gave him a chance to hit the game winner, but he airballed the last shot when challenged by Harden on the right wing.

Kawhi vs. Harden for the game 👀 pic.twitter.com/sr8miX5L0I

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 26, 2019

Houston improved to 28-20 while Toronto dropped to 36-15.

Studs of the Night

Cedi Osman scored a career-high 29 points for the Cavaliers, but Cleveland lost to the Heat 100-94.

Lou Williams recorded a triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Clippers past the Bulls 106-101.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 14 rebounds in the Bucks’ 108-99 win against Charlotte.

Duds of the Night

Evan Fournier scored two points on 1-of-10 shooting in the Magic’s 95-91 loss to the Wizards.

Tim Hardaway Jr. had 10 points on just 2-of-14 shooting as the Knicks fell short to the Nets 109-99 in Brooklyn.

Highlights

Josh Okogie had no fear when he slammed one home on Rudy Gobert as the Timberwolves lost to the Jazz 106-102.

JOSH OKOGIE PUNISHES THE RIM! 💥#AllEyesNorth

💻📱: https://t.co/Bq24jKOTFm pic.twitter.com/KHIucCDF31

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2019

Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan made this lob and dunk look easy on the break in the Mavericks’ 106-101 win over the Pistons.

DeAndre runs the floor for the two-hand FLUSH! 💪#MFFL 70#DetroitBasketball 70

💻📱: https://t.co/Bq24jKOTFm pic.twitter.com/apJBra6ziO

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2019

What’s Next?

Warriors (34-14) at Celtics (30-18) 8:30 p.m. ET — Golden State has been the favorite to win the NBA Finals for some years now. After an impressive showing last season, Boston was favored to win the Eastern Conference in 2018-19. These two contenders will both have plenty of star power when they battle in TD Garden on Saturday.