Harden bails out Rockets, embraces Yao after OT win

James Harden had to get this one for Yao Ming.

On the night Yao had his No. 11 jersey raised to the rafters of Toyota Center, Harden refused to let the Houston Rockets lose, leading them to a 121-117 come-from-behind overtime win Friday against the Chicago Bulls.

The Rockets had trailed by eight points with under two-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter, but they held the Bulls scoreless for the remainder of regulation, and Harden knotted things up with a nasty step-back jumper over Michael Carter-Williams in the final 30 seconds.

In overtime, with the Rockets trailing by a point, Harden went back to the well, this time burning Paul Zipser with the step-back, draining a 20-footer, and drawing a foul to boot.

He'd complete the three-point play, then go on to ice the game with two free throws, finishing with 42 points to go along with 12 rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.

Harden had already giddily embraced Yao once, but once he'd secured the victory, he went straight to the sideline to give it up to the man of the evening.