NBA:James Harden, Dwight Howard notch career playoff bests; Rockets up 3-0

Houston Rockets

130

Final

128

Dallas Mavericks

DALLAS -- James Harden deferred to Dwight Howard and his role players when Houston swept two games at home to open its first-round series against Dallas.
The MVP candidate took over in the game that put the Rockets on the verge of Harden's first postseason series victory with Howard in their second season together -- even interrupting his big man on a question about the best rebounding game of the center's playoff career.
Harden scored a playoff career-high 42 points, Howard had his postseason best with 26 rebounds and the Rockets beat the Mavericks 130-128 on Friday night for a 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
"He was a beast," Harden said as Howard struggled to find the right words to describe his big night on the boards. "He was a beast. Go ahead," he said, nodding toward his teammate.