James Harden returns with 25 points to guide Houston Rockets to victory

James Harden returned from injury to score 25 points and lead the Houston Rockets to a 96-88 win over the Chicago Bulls.

Having missed three games due to a strained hamstring, the shooting guard was back on court in a dominant fashion, scoring 11 straight points in just under two minutes as the Rockets rallied for the lead in the third.

The Bulls held a one-point lead at 59-58 before the charge but were outscored 21-7 in the third and never regained the lead to drop to their fourth loss in a row.

Carmelo Anthony finished with 17 points and James Ennis added 15 as Houston recorded back-to-back victories.

Victor Oladipo handed the Indiana Pacers a narrow 102-101 win over the Boston Celtics, hitting a three-pointer with 3.4 seconds left on the clock.

Oladipo had a total of 24 points and 12 rebounds, while a team-high 23 points from Marcus Morris was not enough to lift the Celtics to victory, bringing an end to their four-game winning streak.

The Philadelphia 76ers improved to 6-0 at home as they rushed to a 69-47 half-time lead over the Detroit Piston, Joel Embiid scoring 32 of his 39 points in the first two quarters.

The 24-year-old also made 10 of 18 field goals and 17 rebounds in the 109-99 victory.

LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 114-110, while the Cleveland Cavaliers were downed 126-94 by the Charlotte Hornets as Jeremy Lamb claimed a season-best 19 points.

Trae Young scored 24 points and a career-high 15 assists as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Miami Heat 123-118, while the New Orleans Pelicans lost their fifth successive match as the San Antonio Spurs triumphed 109-95, with the Denver Nuggets extending their winning streak to four games with a 103-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.