NBA: James Harden pours in 45 points to lead Rockets past Pacers

James Harden bounced back in a big way on Monday, scoring 45 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-98 NBA victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Harden was one point shy of his career high set on February 20, 2013 against Oklahoma City.

Harden, the league`s leading scorer with an average of 27.1 points per game, notched his 18th outing of the season of 30 or more points and his fourth of 40 or more.

Thirty-three of his 45 came in the second half as he rebounded from a disappointing 12-point outing as he battled foul trouble in Houston`s 131-106 loss to Golden State on Saturday.

"It`s going to be like that," Harden said. "There are going to be some games where I`m not making shots or I`m just frustrated.

"Last game, having three fouls in the first quarter, that was the first time I really went through that all season ... kind of frustrating, but it was very important to bounce back and we did a great job of that tonight."