Harden hits 51 as Rockets win

James Harden strengthened his case for the MVP award with a career-high 51 points Wednesday as the host Houston Rockets beat the Sacramento Kings, 115-111.

Houston was up by nine with about eight minutes left when Sacramento used a 9-2 spurt to get within 104-102 with 51/2 remaining. An 8-0 run by Harden, which he capped with a three-point play, pushed the lead to 112-104.

DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with his second career triple-double with 24 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists after missing Monday's game to rest. He also had six blocks.

Bucks 95, Bulls 91 - Michael Carter-Williams had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the host Bucks to a rare victory at home over the Bulls.

The Bucks (37-38), who lost their previous nine home games against the Bulls, also got 16 points from Ersan Ilyasova.

Raptors 113, Timberwolves 99 - Lou Williams scored 18 points to lead a balanced Toronto offense as the host Raptors defeated Minnesota.

Six players scored at least 13 points for the Raptors, who shot 55.3 percent from the field. DeMar DeRozan had 17 points, Terrance Ross 16, Jonas Valanciunas 15, Greivis Vasquez 14 and James Johnson chipped in 13 for Toronto.

Nets 100, Knicks 98 - Brook Lopez's follow shot with two seconds left gave Brooklyn its fifth straight victory and a share of seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

- Associated Press