NBA Game Summary - Houston at Sacramento

Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden scored 18 straight points to close the first quarter for Houston en route to a season-high 43-point effort, and the Rockets crushed the Sacramento Kings, 129-103, on Tuesday night.

The Rockets jumped out to a 24-12 lead with just under 4 1/2 minutes left in the opening frame when Harden went berserk.

Harden, who didn't play in the fourth quarter, went on a personal 18-5 run in the final 3:45 of the first and finished with 22 points after 12 minutes to help the Rockets to a 42-17 lead.

Dwight Howard finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Terrence Jones and Chandler Parsons had 11 and 10 points, respectively, in Houston's 10th win in its last 11 games.

The Rockets evened the season series at two games apiece in the final tilt between the two teams. Sacramento hasn't taken a season series from Houston since a four-game sweep in 2003-04.

Rudy Gay had 25 points and six assists, DeMarcus Cousins totaled 16 points with six rebounds, and Ben McLemore chipped in 15 points for Sacramento, which had its two-game winning streak snapped.