Rockets 99, Lakers 87: James Harden had 37 points, eight rebounds and five assists as visiting Houston trounced Los Angeles.

Josh Smith and Jason Terry scored 11 points apiece off the bench for the Rockets, who were 13-of-44 from 3-point range. Houston center Dwight Howard (ankle) sat out for the second straight game.

Carlos Boozer scored 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Lakers lost their eighth consecutive game. Jeremy Lin scored 14 points, Wayne Ellington added 13 and Ed Davis collected 13 rebounds for Los Angeles, which is enduring its longest skid since also losing eight straight from March 14-27, 2005.

Houston was on top by 16 at the half and three free throws by Harden pushed the edge to 20 with 7:15 left in the third quarter. Terry’s 3-pointer late in the period made it a 23-point margin and he knocked down another in the fourth quarter to make it 87-62 before the Lakers went on a 16-2 surge to cut their deficit to 11 and make the final score respectable.

The Rockets led by 15 points after one quarter and held a 19-point advantage after Corey Brewer’s dunk with 7:41 left in the second quarter. Los Angeles shot just 36.4 percent from the field in the half and trailed 52-36 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston racked up 13 steals while forcing 21 Los Angeles turnovers. … The Lakers were 1-of-13 from 3-point range. … Harden leads the NBA with 21 30-point outings.