Result: Half-century for Harden as Houston star makes history

James Harden finished with 50 points to help propel the Houston Rockets to a 126-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harden also had 10 rebounds and 11 assists to score the fourth 50-point triple-double of his career – the most in NBA history.

He broke a tie with Russell Westbrook to take the top spot, with Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor in third place with two each.

The San Antonio Spurs won by their largest margin this season, toppling the Los Angeles Clippers 125-87.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 27 points on 12-14 shooting, while Rudy Gay added 21 points.

It was the third game in a row that the Spurs held their opponents to less than 100 points, and also marked a fourth straight win at home.

Nikola Vucevic hit a tie-breaking bucket with just 28.8 seconds remaining to lift the Orlando Magic over the Chicago Bulls 97-91.

The team’s leading scorer finished with 26 points – 10 in the fourth quarter – and made three of six three-pointers.

Orlando rallied from an early deficit before the Bulls pulled things back to keep the game poised in the final quarter.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns broke a 10-game losing streak with a 99-89 defeat of the Dallas Mavericks.

TJ Warren had 30 points as the Suns, languishing at the bottom of the league, improved their record to 5-24 for the season.