The Houston Rockets (41 - 41) defeated the Sacramento Kings (34 - 48) 116 - 81 on Wednesday. The Rockets came in to the game with a simple mission; prevail over a significantly undermanned Kings squad and by doing so, clinch the final Western Conference playoff spot. The outcome was seemingly never in question, as Houston jumped out to a 34 - 18 lead after one quarter. The veteran trio of James Harden, Patrick Beverley and Dwight Howard stepped up when it mattered most, tallying 61 of the Rockets' 116 points on the night. The victory allowed Houston to finish the season with three straight wins, even their record at .500 and most important, grab the eighth seed in the conference. Sacramento played without the resting DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Rajon Rondo, so it was Ben McLemore who led the way with 24 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. James Anderson was next with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Kosta Koufos turned in his second consecutive double - double, tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds, an assist, two blocks and a steal. Seth Curry pitched in with 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Quincy Acy paced the reserves with 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. The Kings finish with a 33 - 49 record and third in the Western Conference's Pacific Division. The Rockets were spearheaded by Harden, who supplied 38 points, four rebounds and four assists. Howard was a distant second with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a block in just 25 minutes. Beverley stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, 12 assists, four rebounds and an outstanding six steals. K.J. McDaniels and Michael Beasley were both productive off the bench, with respective point totals of 11 and 10 points. McDaniels supplemented his scoring with four rebounds, while Beasley pitched in with five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. Houston finishes with a 41 - 41 record and in fourth place in the Western Conference's Southwest Division. They'll face off with the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.
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