Plauderecke » ed to sit out and rest a nagging ankle injury.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Houston Rockets hadnt been very good lately with Dwight Howard on the court, and downright lethal with him on the sidelines. But that all changed Monday night. James Harden stayed hot, Howard provided a boost on defence and the Rockets won their fourth straight game 100-89 to cool off the surging Charlotte Bobcats. Harden scored 31 points and Howard battled through foul trouble and a head cold he picked up over the weekend to chip in with 10 points and 10 rebounds, handing the Bobcats only their second loss in the last 11 games at home. Houston had lost three straight before Howard decided to sit out and rest a nagging ankle injury. The Rockets quickly started rolling without him, winning the next three games by an average of 23 points. "Dwight is a great talent and you figure a way to get him in," Harden said. "He didnt score the ball well tonight, but he had 10 rebounds and did so many other things, He held Al Jefferson to a fewer amount of points. It doesnt always show up in the stat sheet, but we know how important he is to our team." Jefferson still finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, but many of those came when Howard was sitting out after picking up a pair of offensive fouls — his third and fourth of the game — in the third quarter. "I was trying to play through (being sick) and the conditioning, but the important part is we got the win," Howard said. Terrence Jones added 18 points and seven rebounds in the victory and Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverly had backbreaking 3-pointers on consecutive possessions in the final two minutes to seal the victory. The Rockets (48-22) entered 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for third place in the Western Conference and riding a wave of confidence having shot 54.7 per cent during the recent three-game win streak. The turning point came late in the third quarter with the Bobcats leading 66-65. Harden took over, helping Houston close the quarter with a 13-2 run to build a double-digit lead. Harden scored 10 points during that crucial stretch, including a breakaway left-handed dunk and a fall away 3-pointer. He was fouled another 3-point attempt and sank all three shots. The Bobcats got to within five on a jumper by Jefferson in the lane, but Parsons and Beverly each hit 3s to push the lead to 98-87 with one minute left in the game. "Chandler made a really big transition 3 and Pat made a big 3 in the corner that kind of sealed the game," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. Kemba Walker had 22 points to lead Charlotte. The Bobcats (34-37) came in having won seven of their last 10 — including a 30-point victory over Portland on Saturday night — and looking to gain ground on Washington in the race for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But they shot just 37 per cent from the field. "The ball movement just wasnt the same tonight. We didnt have a James Harden," Jefferson said. Few teams do. At times, Harden was hitting step-back jump shots that not even the leagues best defenders could stop. Jefferson called Harden the best 1-on-1 player in the game. "He didnt do anything that surprised me tonight," Jefferson said. "Hes an amazing player." It was Hardens 18th 30-point game this season. "He just took over," McHale said. "Hes been fantastic and playing the right way. He had 31 (points) on 19 shots. And hes making the right play. Hes making great passes and he led us in assists" with five. NOTES: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver attended the game. Silver said he would like to see Charlotte host the NBA All-Star game in the near future. "The process is for them to apply. Weve had our events department down here to survey the building and there are some upgrades to the building that are needed. Part of the understanding is to assure the building remains state-of-the-art... but Id love to bring the All-Star game back here. Its a hotbed of basketball and the only thing they have to do is apply." ... Team owner Michael Jordan took in the game from the end of the Bobcats bench. ... Houston has won seven straight against Charlotte. ... Bobcats coach Steve Clifford picked up his seventh technical of the season. Torrey Smith Jersey .5 million contract with the right-handed reliever. Ziegler revealed the agreement via Twitter, saying hes "really excited to stay in Arizona for a couple more years, at least. Rashaan Gaulden Jersey . -- Ryan Gropp scored in overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Spokane Chiefs 1-0 in Western Hockey League play Tuesday. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/ . Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane wanted to stay in Chicago and the Blackhawks wanted to keep the high-scoring forwards in the only NHL uniform they have ever known. Custom Panthers Jerseys . He has spent much of his adult life trying to give back to his native South Sudan, the war-torn African nation the Cavaliers forward and his family fled when he was a young boy. Jarius Wright Jersey .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons.The Winnipeg Jets begin a four game road trip with a noon face off today against the Montreal Canadiens. Due to the early start, neither team held a pregame skate this morning at Bell Centre. This is the second and final game between these teams this season. Carey Price made 36 saves Oct. 15 at MTS Centre to backstop Montreal to a 3-0 victory. The Jets (26-25-5) are seventh in the Central Division with 57 points. They trail Vancouver by six points for a Western Conference wild card playoff spot. The Canucks are off until tomorrow when they play in Detroit. Mark Scheifele has one goal and two assists in his last two games while Jacob Trouba has three assists in his last six periods of hockey. Under Paul Maurice, the Jets record is 7-2. The Jets are 0-4 in their last four games in Montreal. Lifetime against the Canadiens, goaltender Ondrej Pavelec has a 4-8-1 record while Al Montoya is 1-1. Matt Halischuk, Jim Slater and Grant Clitsome remain on the Injured Reserve Lisst.ddddddddddddOf those three, Slater is the only player on this trip. Montreal has a 2-0 record against Winnipeg on Super Bowl Sunday. They were 4-1 winners Jan. 27, 1996 and earned a 3-0 decision Feb. 6, 2012. The Canadiens (29-20-6) are fourth in the Atlantic Division with 64 points. They trail third place Toronto by two points are lead fifth place Detroit by five points. Today is the second straight matinee at Bell Centre. Montreal lost 2-1 in overtime yesterday afternoon to Tampa. The Canadiens have earned five of a possible six points in their last three games. Daniel Briere has two goals and one assist in his last two games. Goaltender Carey Price has an 11-3 record lifetime against Atlanta/Winnipeg while Peter Budaj is 1-3. Montreals penalty kill is third in the NHL at 86 per cent. Brandon, Man. native Ryan White will not play due to injury. Following todays game, the Jets fly to Raleigh and continue their road trip Tuesday night against the Carolina Hurricanes. 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