HOUSTON _ All the stars aligned Tuesday night for Houston Rockets superstar James Harden to impose his will on the Orlando Magic.
Chris Paul, Harden's All-Star teammate, sat out because of a sore groin.
And Aaron Gordon, the Magic's most versatile defender, the player who would've spent much of the game guarding Harden, didn't play because he has a strained hip flexor.
But Harden somehow surpassed expectations anyway.
Harden scored a career-high and franchise-record 60 points to lead the Rockets over the Magic 114-107 at Toyota Center.
Harden also recorded his third triple-double of the season, adding 10 rebounds and 11 assists to his stat line. It was the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history.
With the score tied at 107 with 2:43 remaining, the Magic committed a five-second inbounds violation.
On the Rockets' next trip down the floor, Harden attempted a 31-foot jumper just before the shot clock expired. The shot rattled off the rim, but Harden gathered the offensive rebound. A short while later, Harden faked out Evan Fournier with fancy dribbling and drained a 20-foot stepback jumper with 1:50 left in the game.
Houston led 109-107 and never trailed again.
Fournier missed a 3-pointer on the Magic's next possession. A short while later, Harden drained a 3-pointer as he absorbed a foul from Mario Hezonja and then made the free throw.
Game over.
Chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!" soon echoed within the arena _ a tribute to Harden.
The Magic (14-35) and Rockets (36-13) sit on opposite ends of the NBA spectrum.
The Magic own the NBA's worst record. The Rockets hold the league's second-best record.
The way Magic coach Frank Vogel saw it, the game was "an opportunity to get one of our best wins of the season."
"We won at Boston last week," Vogel said as tipoff approached. "We beat Minnesota recently. So we have an opportunity to win a third game against a top-seven or -eight team within two weeks. That's what we're going for."
Vogel knew it would be a difficult task.
On Jan. 3, Houston crushed Orlando, 116-98, at Amway Center even though MVP candidate Harden sat out the game with a hamstring injury.
On Tuesday night, Harden was front-and-center.
If Gordon had been healthy and able to play, he would've guarded Harden a significant amount of time.
"Especially playing Houston, these are the type of games that I want to be in: against playoff-caliber teams and championship-caliber teams," Gordon said before tipoff. "It's too bad. But it's the way it goes, the way the game works. I'm going to be patient. I'll be back soon, though."
The Magic took a 55-54 lead into halftime.
Orlando made eight of its 15 attempts from 3-point range during the first half, while Houston went an uncharacteristic 5 for 19 from beyond the arc.
The Magic received balanced scoring Tuesday. Six of their players scored in double figures: Marreese Speights (17 points), Hezonja (17), Jonathon Simmons (15), Shelvin Mack (15), D.J. Augustin (13) and Fournier (12).
Almost all night long, the Magic answered the Rockets.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Harden sank an off-balance, leaning 3-pointer over Mack as the shot clock expired, putting Houston ahead 101-97.
On Orlando's ensuing possession, Speights drained a 3-pointer from the left corner as Clint Capela fouled him. Speights' basket prompted players on the Magic's bench to stand and raise their hands and forced the Rockets to call a timeout. Speights made the free throw to tie the game.
Later in the period, Harden drove to the hoop despite Simmons' attempt to draw a charge and scored from short range. The basket put Houston ahead 107-105.
On Orlando's next trip down the floor, Speights tied the score by draining a floater.
That set the stage for Harden's heroics.
