. ... Ariza finished with five 3s and has had at least four 3s in 1

PHILADELPHIA -- If Joel Embiid and Hassan Whiteside have their way, centers are going to be big in the NBA again.Embiid had 22 points, including four late free throws, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over Whiteside and the Miami Heat 101-94 on Monday night in a matchup between two of the top big men in the Eastern Conference.Neither disappointed.Whiteside set a career high with 32 points while reaching double digits in rebounds for the 13th consecutive game to start the season. Whiteside, who entered leading the NBA with 16.2 boards per game, finished with 13.Around the league theres a lot of young big men, and I think were starting to come back, said Embiid, who played 23 minutes. So one thing I told him is keep killing it. As big men, we all want each other to do good. Ive always studied him in the past. Its always been a big man league, so I want it to stay like that.Gerald Henderson added 19 points and Jahlil Okafor had 15 for the 76ers, who won their fourth straight home game. Philadelphia (4-10) has lost 21 in a row on the road.I feel were moving in the right direction, coach Brett Brown said.Embiid has made an early case for Rookie of the Year despite missing two seasons with a foot injury. He set a career high with 26 points in Philadelphias 120-105 win over Phoenix on Saturday night and followed that up with yet another strong game.He was serenaded with chants of MVP! MVP! late in the game from the home crowd, which hasnt had much to cheer about in the last few seasons during Philadelphias rebuilding process. But Embiid has given Sixers fans reason to hope.Philly loves that guy, Whiteside said. Ive never seen excitement like that. They love that dude. I was amazed.Embiid came up big again Monday, especially down the stretch.The teams were close throughout the second half. Hendersons corner 3-pointer gave Philadelphia an 85-80 cushion with 8:16 remaining. Whiteside re-entered shortly after that shot and helped Miami tie it at 89 with 4:43 left on a tip-in.Philadelphia responded with nine of the next 11 points, capped by Embiids two free throws with 2:27 left that gave the 76ers their biggest lead to that point, 98-91.Theres a spirit he has at the end of games and on the bench that reflects toughness and a growing desire, Brown said of Embiid.PITCHING INRobert Covington also came up big during the late Sixers run, scoring on a reverse layup and a 3-pointer.Covington was booed upon entering the game in the fourth quarter due to his recent shooting struggles. He entered having missed 27 of his last 31 shots and finished 4 for 13 against Miami.It goes in one ear, out the other, Covington said. Ive been here two years. I see the ups and downs of how Philly fans are, and it doesnt affect me. Just keep playing.The 3-pointer eased Covingtons mind.It was a big relief, he said. My teammates just kept telling me to keep shooting. I was like, Im going to have one good shot.KEEP ME IN, COACHWhiteside, plagued by foul trouble, played 32 minutes. He ended the night with five fouls, but would have liked to have seen more time on the court.One day he is going to trust me with the five fouls, Whiteside said of coach Erik Spoelstra.BIG SHOTEmbiid is the rare big man who has a feathery touch from outside. He shot 7 of 13 from the field and hit one of his two 3-point attempts. For the season, Embiid is shooting 49.2 percent from the floor and has drained 11 of 21 3-pointers.TIP-INSHeat: Shaquille ONeals No. 32 jersey will be retired by Miami on Dec. 22 during a ceremony at halftime against the Los Angeles Lakers. ... F Willie Reed (knee) didnt play after leaving Saturdays game at Washington.76ers: Offseason acquisition Jerryd Bayless made his season debut for Philadelphia and scored four points in 16 minutes. Bayless missed the first 13 games with a left wrist injury. . Embiids minutes are restricted in the wake of his foot injury.UP NEXTHeat: At the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.76ers: Host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. NMD R1 Primeknit Australia . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Adidas Superstar Sale Australia . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. http://www.nmdaustraliasale.com/nmd-r1-shoes-australia.html .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. NMD R2 Australia . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Superstar Shoes Australia . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. HOUSTON -- James Hardens latest game left him tied in Houstons record books with perhaps the greatest Rocket of all.Harden had a triple-double -- 15 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds -- in just three quarters to lead the Rockets to their eighth straight win, 132-98 over the short-handed Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.It was Hardens fifth triple-double this season and the 14th of his career, which ties him with Hakeem Olajuwon for most in franchise history. Harden acknowledged how special it is to be mentioned in the same breath as The Dream.Yes, obviously all-time Rockets great, best to ever do it (in) a Rocket uniform and one of the best to ever do it period, Harden said. So just honored. Its a credit to my teammates who helped me and coaches and just trying to win. Thats all.Houstons winning streak is the longest current one in the NBA and the teams longest since 2014.The biggest thing Im happy with is we had 40 assists on 50 buckets, so theyre sharing the ball, coach Mike DAntoni said. James does what he does every night and just a lot of good stuff going on.Hardens triple-double came in 29 minutes and 52 seconds of play, which is his second when playing less than 30 minutes.Houston led by 15 points in the third quarter before using a 10-4 run to push it to 76-53 with about 7 minutes left in the quarter. The Rockets began to pour it on after that, outscoring the Kings 18-5 over the next 3 1/2 minutes to make it 94-58. Trevor Ariza scored the first five points in that span and capped it with a 3-pointer.Harden grabbed his 10th rebound soon after that and got one more late in the third before heading to the bench at the end of the quarter to end his night.The Kings played without three starters with Rudy Gay (hip flexor strain) and Ben McLemore (left quadriceps contusion) out with injuries and DeMarcus Cousins getting a planned day of rest. They were led by Garrett Temples 20 points.There are times when teams are going to have to rest people and that gives other guys an opportunity to step up, Sacramentos Matt Barnes said. We have to weather the storm until Ben and Rudy get back and I think DeMarcus is playing in the next game.dddddddddddd We have to pick up the pieces and continue to play hard and improve.Ryan Anderson had 22 points and Sam Dekker had a career-high 19 for Houston.Harden has thrived running DAntonis fast-paced offense and has piled up 53 assists in the last four games.TIP-INSKings: Have lost six straight in Houston. ... Anthony Tolliver had 12 points and 10 rebounds. ... Trailed by as many as 39. ... Willie Cauley-Stein had 11 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots.Rockets: Eric Gordon had a season-high eight assists. ... Every Houston starter scored at least 10 points. Its the sixth time thats happened this season. ... Ariza finished with five 3s and has had at least four 3s in 11 games this season. ... The Rockets had 64 points at halftime and have scored at least 60 points in the first half in seven of their last 11 games.COME ON GUYSThe Rockets finished with 22 3-pointers to give them at least 15 3s in three straight games, which ties a franchise record. They came just short of tying the NBA record for 3s in a game of 23. With her son on the bench for the entire fourth quarter Hardens mother Monja Willis was imploring Dekker to help the Rockets break the record.James mom kept yelling at me, Dekker said. She was laughing and she kept saying: `You need two more for the record. Two more for the record. But I didnt pay too much mind to it. We got out of there with a win and with the way we shoot the ball I think well get pretty close again.NO RESTWith Cousins sitting out to rest Wednesday night, Harden, who has played in 152 consecutive games, was asked why he never wants to take a night off to give his body a break.I know Im not going to be playing basketball for the rest of my life, he said. I cherish moments like these and I love to play basketball. ... I love being on the court.UP NEXTKings: Visit Memphis on Friday.Rockets: Host New Orleans on Friday. ' ' '