Rockets lose lead, rally for dramatic win

Washington: There was a pair of rain delays at an NBA game on Saturday night, a curious happening followed by another strange turn of events: The Houston Rockets built a 25-point lead, lost all of it and then some, then rallied from five down late in the fourth quarter for a 114-107 win over the Washington Wizards.

Long after the stoppages of 35 and 22 minutes because of a leak in the roof, James Hardin tied the game with a driving layup with 2:33 to play, then gave the Rockets the lead again — this time for good — with a three-point play with 1:54 remaining. He finished with 25 points to lead the Rockets, who made only four field goals in the final period yet closed with a 17-5 run.

The Knicks improved to 14-22 while the 76ers slid to 12-25 with their fourth loss in a row.

New York guard J.R. Smith came off the bench to score 14 points and pass out six assists in his return to the lineup.

Smith was fined $50,000 (Dh183,645) on Wednesday by the NBA for a second incident of trying to untie the shoelaces of a rival player while awaiting a rebound on a free throw attempt.

That prompted Knicks coach Mike Woodson to bench a healthy Smith for the entire game in the Knicks’ 102-92 victory on Thursday over the defending NBA champion Miami Heat.

Spencer Hawes and James Anderson each had 17 points to lead the 76ers, while Thaddeus Young added 15 points.