Rockets 101, Magic 89: James Harden scored a game-high 31 points and dished out six assists as visiting Houston rallied past Orlando for its 13th victory in 15 games.

Former Magic center Dwight Howard contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds while Chandler Parsons chipped in with 19 points and seven assists for the Rockets, who trailed by 14 in the first half. Terrence Jones added 17 points and 11 boards as Houston survived 22 turnovers.

Arron Afflalo, returning from a five-game absence due to an ankle injury, led the way with 18 points and Maurice Harkless had 15 for the Magic. Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 10 rebounds for his 13th double-double in the last 17 games for Orlando, which was outrebounded 49-34.

The Magic led by a point late in the third quarter before Jones and Howard made baskets and Harden scored the next seven as Houston took a 75-65 lead into the fourth. Orlando pulled within 79-76 less than four minutes into the final quarter, but Harden scored five points, Jones drove for two and the Rockets held on from there.

Orlando shot 61 percent and converted seven Houston turnovers into 10 points to build a 32-19 lead after one quarter. Parsons scored 15 in the second period as the Rockets pulled within four, but Harkless drained a 3-pointer in the final seconds for a 48-41 lead at intermission.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Orlando G Victor Oladipo, who was the only player on the team to play in the first 62 games, sat out his first with a sore left ankle and Magic G Jameer Nelson (illness) missed his second straight. … The Rockets have the best record in the NBA (21-6) since the calendar turned to 2014. …Howard, making his second trip to Orlando since being traded by the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers, notched his 41st double-double of the season to rank third in the league.