Harden leads Rockets past Cavaliers 112-104

He sure looks comfortable in that role right now.

Harden scored 29 points, including 16 in the final period, and the Houston Rockets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-104 on Saturday night.

"James sure made a couple of big shots, no doubt about that," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "He made some great plays and as a team, we found a way to make plays through him. He waved the (post player) off a couple of times because he wanted to go one-on-one. He was really feeling it there."

Playing alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Harden helped Oklahoma City reach the NBA Finals last season. He was traded to Houston in October and is averaging a career-best 26.3 points with the Rockets.

"You saw him in a situation in OKC where he was part of that three-headed monster," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "Sometimes guys want that to have that spotlight and want to be the man and some of them can't handle it. Obviously he's been able to handle it extremely well."

Harden, who had four points in the first half, made 6 of 17 field-goal attempts, but was 14 of 15 at the line and had a career-high seven steals. He had no explanation for his struggles early in the game.

"To be honest, during shootaround and before the game, my shots all felt good," he said. "Then I couldn't get them to go in the first half. It's weird."

Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 30 points, including 11 in the final period, but tied his career high with eight turnovers. Although Irving kept Cleveland in the game, he blamed himself for not taking care of the basketball.

"I take full responsibility," he said. "That's the difference in the game right there."

The Cavaliers were trying to win two in a row for the second time this season. Center Anderson Varejao, the league's leading rebounder, missed his ninth straight game with a bruised right knee.

Harden has topped the 20-point mark in each of his last 16 games. He scored seven straight points for Houston during one key stretch in the final period. He made a foul shot and converted a three-point play to help the Rockets build a 91-86 lead.

Then Harden made a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, making it 94-88 with 5:52 remaining. He lost control of his dribble at the top of the key, hurriedly retrieved the ball and hit the shot over Dion Waiters.