JAMES HARDEN had 40 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his 10th triple-double of the season to help the Houston Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors 129-122 Sunday night for their eighth straight NBA victory.

    Harden has had at least a double-double in 17 straight games as he continues to make his claim alongside that of Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook for Most Valuable Player honors.

    Harden said the key to the Rockets’ success is unselfishness.

    “Helping each other out, having each other’s backs,” he said. “Offensively, we’re knocking down shots, we’re playing off the catch, we’re doing the small things to help each other out.”

    The Raptors, trying to bounce back from a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, led by as many as 13 points and took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter.

    But the Rockets launched the fourth period with 15 straight points to seize a lead they never surrendered.

    Montrezl Harrell scored 28 points and Eric Gordon added 19 — both off the bench — and Trevor Ariza contributed 17 points for Houston, who became the third team in the Western Conference, after Golden State and San Antonio, to notch a 30th victory this season.

    DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 36 points and DeMarre Carroll added 26 for the Raptors, who are still second in the Eastern Conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers but fell to 24-13.

    Today, they host the 23-14 Boston Celtics, who are chasing them for second in the East.

    Trailing 63-61 at halftime, the Rockets took the lead when Ryan Anderson opened the third quarter with a three-pointer.

    But the Raptors rebuilt the lead and were twice up by as many as 13 in the third before the Rockets swung the momentum their way.

    Ariza’s three-pointer with 1:40 left in the third reduced Toronto’s lead to six points.

    Harden’s three-pointer at the buzzer saw the third quarter end with Toronto up 99-95.

    Ariza drained two more three-pointers as part of the Rockets’ decisive 15-0 run to open the fourth. Harden scored eight points in the final quarter, when the Rockets connected on 65 percent of their shots.

    (SD-Agencies)