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HOUSTON -- Houstons coaching staff emphasized to the players that Boston led the league in fourth-quarter scoring.So when they Rockets found themselves down by six entering the final frame they knew theyd have step things up to escape with a win.Harden made sure they did that, scoring 13 of his 37 points in the fourth before Al Horford missed a shot just before the buzzer to allow the Rockets to hold on for a 107-106 victory Monday night.The fourth quarter we just picked up ... we just wanted to lock in and get stops and offensively be aggressive, Harden said.The game was tied before Harden scored five straight points to make it 107-102 with less than a minute remaining. Avery Bradley made a jump shot and Harden received a flagrant 1 foul for elbowing Marcus Smart in the face. Smart made both free throws before Isaiah Thomas missed a layup.But Houston knocked the ball out of bounds with 5.2 seconds left, giving Boston one last chance. Horford drove into the lane, but his shot rolled off the rim and Harden grabbed it to secure the victory.I felt good when I shot it, but it just didnt go down, Horford said.Horford had 21 points and Thomas added 20 for the Celtics, who had won two straight.It was the ninth 30-point game this season for Harden, who also had eight assists and seven rebounds.An 8-2 run by Houston, powered by a pair of 3-pointers by Eric Gordon, cut Bostons lead to one with about 8 1/2 minutes left. Smart made a 3-pointer for the first of seven straight points for the Celtics that made it 96-88. Smart also had a big defensive play in that stretch when he blocked a one-handed dunk attempt by Montrezl Harrell.Houston scored eight straight points, topped off with a dunk from Harrell, to take a 102-100 lead with about 3 1/2 minutes left.Harden raved about Harrells work.You see how hes flying around everywhere, Harden said. He does a lot of different things, some things that dont show up on the stat sheet that helped contribute to this win.The Celtics trailed by 12 early in the third quarter before using a 15-2 spurt to take a 68-67 lead with about 7 minutes left in the quarter. Boston made three 3-pointers in that span, capped by one from Horford. Houston missed five shots, including four 3s, and had two turnovers to help the Celtics close the gap.We guarded at a different level and our first unit played pretty well in the third, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. In one stretch in the fourth we turned the ball over and that was hurtful.The Rockets were up by three points with 2 minutes left in the first half before Smart fouled Harden on a 3-point attempt and he made all three free throws. Houston had extended the lead to seven when Smart again fouled Harden on a 3-point try and his three free throws made it 58-48 at halftime.TIP-INSCeltics: James Young missed the game with an illness. ... Thomas received a technical for arguing a call at the end of the first half. ... Bradley finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. ... Smart had 13 points.Rockets: Made 12 3-pointers to extend their NBA record of consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers to 20. ... Trevor Ariza started despite dealing with back spasms and had 15 points and eight rebounds. ... Gordon finished with 19 points and made four 3-pointers to give him six straight games with at least four 3s.PERFECTHarden tied a franchise record for most free throws without a miss by making all 18 of his attempts on Monday night. Kevin Martin also went 18 for 18 on March 20, 2011 against Utah. He lamented committing the offensive foul on Smart late instead of drawing the foul and getting a chance to go to the line and set the record.Of course I wanted two free throws at the end of the game instead of a flagrant, but we won, he said. Thats all that matters.LATE PUSHThe Rockets have developed a knack for scoring late. After managing just 13 points in the fourth quarter of a 105-103 loss to Oklahoma City on Nov. 16 the Rockets have picked things up, averaging 27.9 fourth-quarter points in the last 10 games.THEY SAID ITStevens on Harden: Harden is a really good player. I dont know what else to say. We could go through and dissect every play, but overall he is just a really good player.UP NEXTCeltics: Visit Orlando on Wednesday.Rockets: Hosts the Lakers on Wednesday. 49ers Jerseys 2021 . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. 49ers Jerseys 2020 . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. https://www.49ersjerseysale.com/ . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Wholesale 49ers Jerseys . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Stitched 49ers Jerseys . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set. FRISCO, Texas -- Dak Prescott had no interest in joining fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott for the Salvation Army kettle jump .The Dallas quarterback is a little more low-key, happy to let his most accurate game as Cowboys quarterback do the talking coming off his worst game as a pro.And now Prescott puts his focus on an NFC East title and the top seed in the conference after once again quieting talk about backup Tony Romo.I think hes shown that he can do what you hope that a quarterback can do, and thats come back from when he didnt play as well as he wanted to play, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Sundays 26-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.And I think that ought to show you that hes sure not worried about anything thats being said about him. Hes going to go to work and go to town, and we can quit worrying about that kind of stuff.Not that he was worried, but Elliott wont get fined by the NFL for jumping into one of the red kettles beyond the end zone after a short touchdown run.The leagues leading rusher, who was expecting a fine, said on Twitter that he still planned to give money to the Salvation Army, which had a 61 percent increase in donations in the hours after Elliotts creative celebration.The made-for-TV moment overshadowed Prescotts 32-of-36 showing, and his 11th game without an interception against a defense that a week earlier picked off New Orleans Drew Brees three times.I dont really pay attention to the noise, said Prescott , who had 279 yards passing. I couldnt tell you much that was said all week. Thats the only thing in my mind, to respond to last weeks performance. `He said, she said, doesnt affect me.Elliott also overshadowed a Dallas defense that held Tampa Bay to one first down in five possessions in the fourth quarter, when Dallas rallied with three of Dan Baileys four field goals.The Cowboys kept a two-game cushion over New York in the division a week after the Giants ended their 11-gamme winning streak.ddddddddddddInstead of being just one game up on the team that swept them in the regular season, the Cowboys (12-2) are a win or a New York loss or tie from their second division title in three years and their first No. 1 seed since 2007, when Romo led them to a 13-3 record.Dallas finishes the regular season with a Monday night home game against Detroit and a visit to fading Philadelphia.Then its on to the playoffs for Prescott, who is set to become the first rookie quarterback to start in the postseason for Dallas.Hes someone whos handled every situation hes come across since hes been with us very, very well, coach Jason Garrett said.Hes handled success really well, hes handled adversity. Adversities within games, adversities from week to week. Hes just the same guy.Elliott wasnt really worried about his road roommate after Prescott completed less than 50 percent of his passes and looked generally uncomfortable in a 10-7 loss to the Giants, the only team to beat Dallas this season.While Prescott didnt have a touchdown pass, one of his best throws against the Bucs came on the run when he hit Brice Butler in stride on the sideline at the 2.It set up Prescotts sixth rushing touchdown of the season, breaking Don Merediths 50-year-old franchise record.Thats the type of athlete he is, said Elliott, who has 1,551 yards rushing. Thats the type of competitor he is.Game notes DE Randy Gregory is eligible to practice and play this week after serving a 14-game suspension for violating the NFLs substance-abuse policy. The Cowboys thought Gregory would get to practice starting two weeks ago before the NFL altered that plan and kept him sidelined.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler ' ' '