Harden hits triple double

[caption id="attachment_99772" align="alignleft"] Chicago Bulls’ forward Jimmy Butler (L) shoots as Utah Jazz’s center Rudy Gobert defends during their NBA game in Salt Lake City Thursday. — AP
[/caption]Rockets rip Blazers WASHINGTON — James Harden posted his third triple double in five games to power the Houston Rockets over visiting Portland 126-109 Thursday on a night of lopsided NBA matchups. Harden finished with 26 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds to spark the Rockets (7-5). It was Harden’s 12th career triple double and the Rockets are 10-2 when he achieves double digits in three categories. The Rockets made 14 of 32 three-pointers. Trevor Ariza scored 16 points, Clint Capela added 15, reserve Eric Gordon netted 16 points and Patrick Beverley hit 11 in his first start since pre-season left knee surgery. C.J. McCollum led Portland with 26 points while Maurice Harkness added 19 and Damian Lillard had 18 with five rebounds and five assists. Harden scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists in the first quarter as the Rockets led 41-29 after 12 minutes. Bulls 85, Jazz 77 Jimmy Butler scored 20 points and Dwyane Wade added 18 to lead Chicago to its fourth consecutive victory, a decision over Utah. Robin Lopez added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls, who won their third consecutive road game. Chicago overcame shooting 36.7 percent (33 of 90) from the floor by holding Utah to 38.5 percent (30 off 78) from the field. Rudy Gobert scored 16 points, collected 13 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Jazz. Dante Exum chipped in 14 points and Rodney Hood added 12 for Utah, which lost its second straight home game. Timberwolves 110, 76ers 86 Andrew Wiggins scored 35 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points and 10 rebounds in a matchup of star young centers as Minnesota cruised to a victory against Philadelphia. Wiggins added 10 rebounds and four assists, while shooting 14 of 20 as two of the four youngest teams in the NBA met for a nationally televised game showcasing the young skill of players like Wiggins, Towns and Philadelphia rookie center Joel Embiid. Gorgui Dieng had his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota, which won for the third time in five games. Dieng also helped limit Embiid to 10 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes of action. It’s the second straight double-double for Embiid and his third of the season. But the 7-footer entered the game leading all rookies with 18 points per game. Heat 96, Bucks 73 Dion Waiters scored 23 points and Miami snapped a six-game losing streak with a win over Milwaukee at AmericanAirlines Arena. The losing skid was the longest since 2008 for the Heat. The Heat got some revenge against the Bucks, who had won their previous three meetings in Miami. Even with the win, the Heat is just 2-6 in their past eight games against the Bucks. Point guard Goran Dragic, who had missed the past three games due to an injured left ankle, returned to the starting lineup and contributed 16 points and four assists. Wizards 119, Knicks 112 John Wall had 23 points and 11 assists as Washington snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over New York. The Wizards returned home after a demoralizing 109-102 loss Wednesday to a one-win Philadelphia 76ers squad during which they trailed by as many as 24 points. Washington reversed course dramatically by sinking 15 of 25 3-pointers and limiting New York’s offense for most of the game. — Agencies