NBA: Houston Rockets beat Boston Celtics for 15th straight win

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James Harden scored 26 points and Eric Gordon scored 29 off the bench as the Houston Rockets stretched their winning streak to a season-high 15 games with a 123-120 win over the Boston Celtics.

Houston`s winning streak ties the second-longest in franchise history which was achieved two times during the Hakeem Olajuwon-era in the 1990s.

"We`re on a wave right now. We`ve got 20 games left we`ve got to take it one at a time and try to have fun with it," said Harden after Saturday`s victory.

The Rockets best run of success all-time was a 22-game win streak during the 2007-08 NBA season. 

It`s their second long winning streak of this season after Houston won 14 in a row beginning in November and stretching into December.

Marcus Morris had 21 points off the bench for the visiting Celtics, who had won four consecutive games since the all-star break.

Houston`s Gordon made one of two free throws to make it 123-120 with 2.3 seconds remaining.

Boston tried to answer but Marcus Smart`s three-point heave bounced off the rim at the buzzer to give Houston the victory.

"He almost made a lucky shot," Harden said of Smart`s desperate attempt. "That`s a very good team over there. We just wanted to compete at a high level. 

"Early on in the game they were hot, they made so many threes. We just had to compete, keep fighting for four quarters and we got a win."

Harden said the their attention to defence was the difference maker.

"In the first half they were getting a lot of easy looks, they made us scramble defensively. The second half we picked it up a little more," he said.

Elsewhere, Gary Harris scored 32 points, Will Barton added 23 and the Denver Nuggets did most of their damage behind the three-point line in a 126-117 win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.