CLEVELAND - The Houston Rockets played again without Dwight

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CLEVELAND - The Houston Rockets played again without Dwight Howard. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Harden was in the building. Harden scored 37 points, including 17 in the third quarter, and the Rockets led from wire-to-wire in a 118-111 victory on Saturday night. With Howard out for a third straight game because of a sore left ankle, Harden provided a boost. He was 9 of 15 from the field, hit five 3-pointers, made all 14 of his free throws and had 11 assists without playing the fourth quarter after Houston built a 29-point lead late in the third. "Great players do that, they get going," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "Ive seen James do it countless times, but thats what separates him from a lot of players. He has the ability to do that." Harden dominated in just about every aspect of the game. He drove to the basket, buried shots from well beyond the 3-point line, converted free throws and found open teammates. "I just tried to be aggressive and be in attack mode to get to the rim," he said. "If the drive is there, I take it. If its not, Ill do something else. I just use my basketball instincts." Cleveland has lost four straight and played again without point guard Kyrie Irving, who has been sidelined for three games with a strained left biceps. Houston made its first four shots and took a quick lead in snapping a three-game road losing streak. The Rockets also strengthened their hold on the fourth spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Chandler Parsons scored 16 points for Houston while Patrick Beverly added 15. Dion Waiters led Cleveland with 26 points. Tyler Zeller added a career-high 23 points for the Cavaliers, who also played without forward Luol Deng (sprained left ankle). The Rockets played their reserves for most of the fourth and Cleveland cut into the margin. Harden had eight points and eight assists in the first quarter, which saw Cleveland coach Mike Brown call timeout twice in the first four minutes as Houston took a 17-4 lead. The margin reached 15 points in the second period and Houston shot 59 per cent in the first half. Cleveland scored the first seven points of the third quarter to cut the lead to 67-62, but Hardens five free throws sparked a 9-0 run and the Rockets regained control. His four-point play pushed the lead to 87-70. Harden hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key moments later, then added a dunk and another 3-pointer as the lead reached 101-72. "Obviously, Harden had a monster game," Brown said. Howard returned to practice Friday and participated in Saturday mornings shootaround, but didnt dress for the game. He played in each of Houstons first 66 games, but was a late scratch Monday, had a cyst removed from the ankle the following day and didnt play Thursday. "I dont think he feels quite good enough to play, but he feels much better," McHale said before the game. Houston is undefeated in the eight-time All-Stars absence. Howard scored 26 points and had six rebounds in the Rockets 106-92 win over Cleveland on Feb. 1. He averages 18.6 points and 12.4 rebounds for the season. Injuries and a brutal schedule have dropped Cleveland out of playoff contention. The Cavaliers are 2-8 in March and trail Atlanta by 6 1/2 games for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland, which has also dropped games to the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami and Oklahoma City in the streak, has lost eight of 10 and has dropped five straight at home. The Cavaliers fell behind by 24 points in Thursdays loss to the Thunder, a trend Brown is displeased with. "Thats two games in a row that weve come out and our first group has just been flat," he said. "Theyve been flat offensively, flat defensively. So its been an uphill battle, especially being short-handed." The difficult schedule continues Sunday when the Cavaliers travel to New York, which has won eight in a row. Cleveland was routed 113-86 on Jan. 30 at Madison Square Garden. The Rockets have won four straight and six of their last seven against the Cavaliers. Seth Curry, signed by Cleveland to a 10-day contract Friday, scored three points in eight minutes. Hes the younger brother of Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry. NOTES: Rockets guard Francisco Garcia isnt with the team because of personal reasons. ... In addition to missing Irving and Deng, the Cavaliers played without guard C.J. Miles (sprained left ankle) and forwards Anthony Bennett (strained left patellar) and Sergey Karasev (sore right knee). ... Seth Curry appeared in one game earlier this season for Memphis, playing four scoreless minutes. ... Houston plays at Charlotte on Monday. Wholesale Jerseys . Although the deal cannot be made official until the free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 10, Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $18 million extension to remain in Toronto, sources confirm to TSN. Cheap China Jerseys .Kessy tried to show what he can do playing left wing for the Oilers in 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in pre-season action. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinaforsale.com/ . Radulov scored the lone goal in the shootout, and the Predators edged the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Tuesday night to reach 100 points for the second time in three seasons and fourth in seven.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The NFL is almost universally regarded as a copycat league and for the most part that sentiment is true. When it comes to Xs and Os, plagiarism is certainly an accepted part of professional football and imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery in the coaching ranks. We are a copycat league, you bet, NFL head of football operations Troy Vincent recently told the Associated Press. If Peyton (Manning) and Philip (Rivers) and (Drew) Brees and (Tom) Brady are doing something thats good, then go out and try to do the same thing. That kind of piracy has never reached into the front office, however. No NFL team has had more success in the Super Bowl era than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who already possess a record six Lombardi Trophies as they prepare to embark on their quest for a seventh Saturday night against the Baltimore Ravens. And the Steelers are renowned for their stability, employing all of three coaches since Chuck Noll arrived in Western Pennsylvania in 1969. That continuity has helped spawn the record six Super Bowl crowns with each coach -- Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin -- contributing to the collection. Black Monday is the yearly reminder that few organizations plan to play copycat when it comes to Pittsburghs history of success, with impatience, anxiety and often ego trumping common sense. The first official domino fell Sunday night in Santa Clara when the messy Jim Harbaugh-Trent Baalke divorce finally became official. The 49ers and Harbaugh officially parted ways after Sundays 20-17 win over Arizona, a move weeks in the making and one the team called mutual if mutual means the politician (Baalke) winning a power struggle against the bull in a china shop (Harbaugh). The 49ers announced they have already begun a search for a new head coach and the team quickly asked for permission to talk with Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase during his bye week. Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions, 49ers CEO Jed York said. We thank Jim for bringing a tremendous competitive nature and a great passion for the game to the 49ers. Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record in four seasons with three consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship game and one trip to the Super Bowl. He, however, didnt get along with a lot of people in the building and it was clear months ago that the first sign of things going off the rails would give Baalke the excuse to move on. Harbaugh is expected to land on his feet as the highest paid college coach at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, with multiple reports indicating he will be named the Wolverines new head coach by Tuesday. Its been the time of my life. Theres been a lot of memories, great moments, Harbaugh said. I feel like Im going to be friends for life with anybody who wants to be. Others wont have a golden parachute waiting for them. The Jets kicked things off on the actual Black Monday as team owner Woody Johnson cleaned house, firing both head coach Rex Ryan and general manager John Idzik after a 4-12 season. After extensive thought and reflection about the current state of our football team, this morning I informed Rex Ryan and John Idzik that they will not be returning for the 2015 season, Johnson said. Both Rex and John made significant contributions to the team, and they have my appreciation and gratitude for their efforts and commitment. Cheap NFL Jerseys China. Over the years, Rex brought the Jets a bold confidence and a couple of great postseason runs, which all of us will remember. Johnsons decision probably wasnt all that fair to Idzik, who was on board for only two years and never got the opportunity to hire his own coach but thats a tough sell to long-suffering Jets fans, who blame Idzik tor two failed drafts. The lack of development from quarterback Geno Smith -- selected as part of Idziks first draft class -- was a major reason for the Jets struggles this season. He was benched after a Week 8 loss to Buffalo, then returned to the starters role a month later in a Dec. 1 loss to Miami, long after New York was no longer relevant to the playoff picture. Next up was Mike Smith in Atlanta, who was dismissed after seven seasons, one day after losing 34-3 at home to the Carolina Panthers in a winner-take-all game that determined the NFC South champion. The Falcons finished 6-10, their second straight losing season. Atlanta reached the playoffs four times and captured two division titles in Smiths seven seasons, but had just one postseason win, posting five straight winning seasons under Smith before going 4-12 last in 2013. Smittys contributions to our club, team and city over the last seven years are numerous, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. His accomplishments on the field made him the most successful coach in the 49-year history of the Falcons, and we are grateful for the foundation he has laid for us for the future. The next domino was a housecleaning in Chicago as the Bears fired both head coach Marc Trestman and general manager Phil Emery on the heels of a 5-11 season. Emery spent three years at the helm and brought in Trestman from the CFL in January 2013 after inheriting coach Lovie Smith, who was fired despite a 10-6 season in 2012. The Bears floundered the past two years, posting an 8-8 mark in 2013 before this years disappointing finish. Chicago hadnt finished below .500 since a 7-9 mark in 2009 and suffered through its worst season since a 5-11 record in 2004. Considered a successful quarterbacks coach, Trestmans ultimate sin was the play of Jay Cutler. The veteran quarterback struggled in 2014 and was even benched for Week 16 against Detroit before playing in Sundays season-ending 13-9 loss to the Vikings after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion against the Lions. I want to thank Virginia, George and the McCaskey family, Phil Emery and Ted Phillips for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, Trestman said. I also want to thank all the coaches and players who gave us everything we asked over the past two years. I have tremendous respect for this organization. Chicago is a special city with great fans. Emery was tied to the Trestman hire and the McCaskeys believed giving him the leash to pick another coach would have been untenable to the Second City faithful. Whether any of the coaches removed Monday rebound to have greater success in a future stop remains to be seen but they all now understand hiccups wont be tolerated in most cities. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, a legacy that morphed into mediocrity in 2012-13 with a 16-16 mark over that span was answered by staying the course. And the GPS arrived at its destination on Sunday with the organizations 21st division championship. You would think someone might want to copy that. ' ' '