The Houston Rockets (55 - 26) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (33 - 48) 100 - 90 on Monday at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. After coming into Monday sitting as the projected sixth seed in the Western Conference standings, the Rockets were able to pull themselves even with the San Antonio Spurs for the second overall seed. The Spurs still hold the tiebreaker over the Rockets though, so in order to get the second seed going into the playoffs, the Rockets will need both a win of their own and a Spurs loss in the final games on Wednesday. They'll also have to deal with the likes of the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies as well though, who both remain just a half game back from the Rockets and Spurs. Despite shooting just 41 percent from the field and 26 percent from deep, the Rockets were still able come out with the win due to a strong third quarter where they out - scored the Hornets 31 - 23. Like he's done for the majority of the season already, James Harden put the team on his back and finished with a game - high of 29 points (7 - 20 FG, 1 - 8 3Pt, 14 - 16 FT), to go along with six rebounds and six assists. He did n't have the best day shooting the ball, but he continued to get to the free throw line at a very high rate. He's now combined for 59 points and 12 assists over his last two games, so he'll try and stay hot as the Rockets head into the playoffs later this week. Harden received some help from Josh Smith though, as he came off the bench for 16 points (5 - 13 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 5 - 6 FT), 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. He's also played well of late and has averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds over his last three games. Also off the bench, Corey Brewer added 11 points (5 - 9 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt) and three rebounds over 24 minutes, while Clint Capela chipped in with 10 points (4 - 4 FG, 2 - 4 FT) and five rebounds over 17 minutes. Dwight Howard was held out of this game for a night of rest. Like the Rockets, the Hornets also saw some strong contributions off their bench. Brian Roberts led the way, going 8 - for - 19 from the field and 5 - for - 12 from the three - point line to score a team - high of 23 points, while also adding five rebounds and three assists. With just one game left in the season, it's good to see Roberts end on a high note, as he's averaging just 7 points and 2 assists on the season. Troy Daniels also shot the ball well during his time on the court. Over 28 minutes, he finished with 15 points (6 - 10 FG, 3 - 6 3Pt) and two assists. It matched a season - high in points for Daniels, a season - high that he had just set during Friday's game against the Hawks. While the bench had a solid showing, the starters really struggled. Gerald Henderson and Kemba Walker were absolutely brutal, combining to go just 3 - for - 20 from the field and 0 - for - 5 from the three - point line to score just six points. The Rockets' finish the regular season off at home against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, while the Hornets will travel to Toronto to play the Raptors on Wednesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 41 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 48 Losses ,has 90 Total points ,has 23 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 33 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 26 Percentage of 3 points ,has 41 Percentage of field goals ,has 26 Losses ,has 100 Total points ,has 31 Points in 3rd quarter ,has 55 Wins ."]