HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets recently have developed a knack for playing great in the third quarter. [url=http://www.dodgersteamproshop.com/Dodgers-Rich-Hill-Kids-Jersey/]Ri ch Hill Jersey[/url] . Coach Kevin McHale loves what his team has been doing after the break and wishes they could find that i

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets recently have developed a knack for playing great in the third quarter. Rich Hill Jersey . Coach Kevin McHale loves what his team has been doing after the break and wishes they could find that intensity early in games. James Harden tied a season high with 38 points, Dwight Howard added 20 points and 13 rebounds and the Rockets used a big third-quarter run to earn a 113-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Howard got his first win against his former team as the Rockets sent the injury-riddled Lakers to their third straight loss. "We did a better job in the second half of defending," McHale said. "It was a big difference in the game." The Rockets trailed by a basket in the third quarter before going on a 17-2 run to take an 80-67 lead and roll to victory. Harden hopes they can find a way to play better early when they leave Houston for a long road trip on Thursday. "At the beginning of the game ... we have to come out with a sense of urgency," he said. "We cant put ourselves in situations like that because on the road these four games anything is possible and if we do that, some games we might not be able to come back." Harden continued his recent torrid scoring with his third straight 30-point game. He has piled up 113 points in the last three games combined. Nick Young scored 25 points to lead Los Angeles and Pau Gasol and Jodie Meeks scored 21 each. Ronnie Brewer started for the first time this season in place of the injured Chandler Parsons, who was out with a sore right knee. Howard made a season-high four steals, Harden collected a season-best five steals, and Terrence Jones had 15 points and 13 rebounds. The Lakers had a two-point lead midway through the third quarter when Houston got rolling, scoring seven straight points thanks to a 3-pointer by Harden and back-to-back buckets by Howard to take a 70-65 lead. The second one brought the crowd to its feet when Harden swiped a bad pass from Kendall Marshall and tossed up an alley-oop that Howard finished with a monster two-handed slam. That spurt was the beginning of the 17-2 burst that extended Houstons lead to 80-67 with about two minutes left in the quarter. Harden was on fire in that span, scoring nine points and drawing a collective "ooh" from the crowd when he crossed up rookie Ryan Kelly on a layup to cap it. Los Angeles was as cold as Harden was hot, missing five shots and committing three turnovers while the Rockets built the lead. "We seem to run out of energy," Los Angeles coach Mike DAntoni said. "I dont know if they are getting tired or its just the other team turns on the burners." Howard spurned the Lakers to sign an $88 million deal with Houston, joining Harden and a team that made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009. He admitted after practice Tuesday that he was ticked off that Los Angeles came out on top in the first meeting earlier this season. The centre missed several key free throws down the stretch in that one, a one-point win by the Lakers in November when they employed the Hack-A-Howard strategy. They were down by 14 points when they used that approach again Wednesday night, fouling him every time Houston got the ball for a two-minute span ending with about two minutes left. "Its nothing I like," DAntoni said. "It makes an ugly game, but were trying to get a win." Howard made just six of 14, but Houstons lead was so big this time it didnt matter. He finished 10 of 24 from the free throw line. "I was upset at myself for missing all those," Howard said. "I just have to get better at it." He wouldnt acknowledge that this win meant any more than beating any other team. But said it was important for the team to win in general to get going for the road trip. The Lakers, who are missing Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar and Steve Blake with various injuries, lost for the ninth time in 10 games. Houston opened the second half with a 9-3 run to take a 61-60 lead with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. Jones scored the last four points of that run. The Lakers led 57-52 at halftime. NOTES: Houston C Omer Asik missed his 17th straight game right thigh and knee injuries. ... Houstons Greg Smith sat out with a sprained right knee. ... New Houston Texans coach Bill OBrien watched the game from a courtside seat. Cody Bellinger Jersey .Brady threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman midway through the fourth quarter, and New England beat the San Diego Chargers 23-14 for its eighth win in nine games. Chase Utley Jersey . Even that couldnt slow them down against the New Orleans Hornets. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scored 31 points apiece and the Thunder overcame injuries to two key backups to beat New Orleans 101-93 Monday night for their 10th straight home win. http://www.dodgersteamproshop.com/Dodgers-Ross-Stripling-Kids-Jersey/ . -- The Minnesota Twins have granted relief pitcher Matt Guerrier his unconditional release, making the 35-year-old right-hander a free agent.SAN DIEGO -- At the end of the longest nine-inning game in San Diego Padres history, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle summed it up best Monday night. "Its time to go home," he said. Jordy Mercer homered and matched a career high with four of Pittsburghs 16 hits in a 10-3 romp over the Padres. Neil Walker added three hits and three RBIs, and Josh Harrison also had three hits to help Pittsburgh win for the ninth time in 13 games. The Pirates are enjoying their West Coast swing so far. After taking three of four at Dodger Stadium, they headed south and won again in a game that took 4 hours, 4 minutes. "It was a long one, thats for sure," Mercer said. "But it is always good when you score a lot of runs." Charlie Morton (2-7) tied a career best with nine strikeouts in five innings. He allowed two runs and three hits in winning for the first time in five road starts this year. Three relievers finished the five-hitter after Mortons curveball baffled the Padres. "He was still dealing with baserunners," Hurdle said. "But he was able to compete and get outs when he needed to. He gave us five solid innings." Mercer scored four times from the No. 8 spot in the batting order and went 4 for 5 to raise his average 20 points to .219. He entered with one home run and seven RBIs in 146 at-bats. "The people believe in me here," Mercer said. "Having that support, having that confidence every time, its nice." Hurdle talked about how dangerous this Pirates lineup can be. Mercer agreed. "I think when we all get hot theres no telling what we can do," Mercer said. "The skys the limit for us because we can hit the ball out of the ballpark, we can run, we can do all sorts of stuff. Its just a matter of us all clicking together." Tim Stauffer (2-2) lasted only 2 2-3 innings, his second consecutive disappointing start since being inserted into the rotation because of elbow injuries to Andrew Cashner and Robbie Erlin. "The first two innings were pretty good, then he seemed to lose the feeling for his pitches," San Diego manager Bud Black said. The PPadres threw 249 pitches, the most ever by their staff in a nine-inning game. Babe Herman Jersey. . "It was just unfortunate it unraveled the way it did," Stauffer said. The Pirates broke open the game with three runs each in the seventh and eighth. The big blow was Walkers two-run double in the seventh, propelling Pittsburgh to its sixth win in the last nine road games. Four times in the previous six innings the Pirates loaded the bases but scored only one run. They stranded a season-high 16 runners. The teams combined for 12 walks and six hit batters. Through the first four innings, Morton didnt allow a run or hit -- although the Padres reached on an error, two walks and two hit batters. But in the fifth, Everth Cabreras double drove in Alexi Amarista after he opened the inning with a single. Seth Smith drove in Cabrera with a single, trimming the Pirates lead to 3-2, but pinch-hitter Tommy Medica struck out with the bases loaded. Pittsburgh had extended its advantage to 3-0 on Mercers RBI single in the fourth. Starling Marte scored after he was hit by a pitch from reliever Alex Torres. Mercer snapped a scoreless tie with a home run to start the third inning, a 414-foot shot into the second deck beyond the left-field fence. Ike Davis sacrifice fly scored Harrison for a 2-0 lead. NOTES: Cashner threw a four-inning simulated game and didnt report any discomfort. Cashner, on the DL since mid-May with a sore right elbow, could start this weekend. "That was a good step forward," Black said. Cashner said hes adjusted the grip on his slider to take pressure off his elbow. ... Erlin hasnt been cleared to resume throwing. Hes on the DL with a sore left elbow. ... Pirates RHP Stolmy Pimentel (right shoulder inflammation) made a rehab start at Class-A Bradenton, throwing two scoreless innings. ... Harrison has batted leadoff 15 straight times, the longest stretch by a Pirates player this season. ... RHP Gerrit Cole (5-3, 3.80 ERA) faces Padres RHP Jesse Hahn on Tuesday. It will be Hahns major league debut after appearing in 10 games with Double-A San Antonio, where he was 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA. 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