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Though James Harden and most of the Houston Rockets were misfiring throughout the first half Korey Toomer Jersey Elite , their confidence never wavered.

In the third quarter, those sharpshooters sure came to life.

Harden had 22 of the team’s near-record 50 points in the third, launching the Rockets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-100 on Monday night to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round playoff series.

”We had the mentality to be aggressive, make or missed shots,” said Harden, who went 7 for 10 in the third quarter and finished with 36 points. ”That’s what we do. We shoot the basketball, and eventually they’ll start falling.”

Chris Paul scored 15 of his 25 points in the near-record third for the Rockets, who still had a 50-49 halftime edge despite their rough start. With those torrid 12 minutes, they built a 31-point lead and were up 104-69 about a minute into the fourth. The only team in the history of the NBA playoffs with more points in one quarter was the Los Angeles Lakers, who scored 51 points in the fourth on March 31, 1962, in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.

”It was a good time to do it. We’ve been talking about it for two years, putting the 50-piece up,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. ”And that starts with the intensity and the right spirit and everything.”

Clint Capela added 14 points and 17 rebounds, Eric Gordon finally got going with 18 points off the bench and the Rockets left the Wolves wondering what hit them after 3 1/2 games of decent defense against one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams. The Rockets scored on 11 straight possessions after an opening stop by the Wolves, and Harden alone scored 17 of their first 20 points.

”I’ve got to watch it again Joseph Noteboom Jersey Elite ,” Paul said. ”We just, I don’t know, got hot.”

Wolves star Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, began forcing off-balance shots. Teague and Paul, the two former Wake Forest point guards, engaged in some intense trash talk. Paul baited Teague into a pushing foul for a pair of add-to-the-pile free throws. Gordon tacked on another 3-pointer at the buzzer for the 100-69 lead.

”I think we came out a little flatter than last game. We didn’t come out right away with that straight grit in the third quarter,” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

Minnesota missed 14 of 21 shots, producing several panicked possessions over the third. Perhaps that’s because they were so rattled by how suddenly and quickly the Rockets were scoring.

”We came out lackadaisical on both ends of the floor,” Butler said. ”We didn’t take anything away from them. They got whatever shot that they wanted.”

The Timberwolves rebounded from their two defeats on the road by matching the Rockets with 15 makes from 3-point range in Game 3. They wisely took another tack for Game 4, attacking the basket in the first half with relentless abandon and plenty of success.

Derrick Rose, who finished with 17 points and six rebounds, was the catalyst off the bench with multiple muscle-his-way-in layups on both fast breaks and in the half court. Starting point guard Jeff Teague, meanwhile, had only two points on 1-for-7 shooting while fighting through dislocated right pinky finger.

The Wolves were in front by as much a 36-29 Authentic Geron Christian Jersey , but with as poorly as the Rockets were shooting they badly needed a larger lead than that. They went 21 for 44 from the field (47.7 percent) in the first half, but with all the layups and putbacks in the mix they easily could have made more.

Trevor Ariza made the first three 3-pointers attempted by the Rockets, who then missed on 13 of their next 14 tries from behind the arc. Harden didn’t make a basket until 5:57 remained in the second quarter, when his 10-foot floater fell in to cut Minnesota’s lead to 39-37. He swished one of his signature step-back 3-pointers on the next possession, and Houston was right back in front to sow the seeds for the staggering third quarter.

”Once we get going, it’s hard to stop us,” Capela said.

FULL CIRCLE

The last time the Timberwolves were in the first round of the playoffs in 2004, their opponent was Denver and Nene was a 21-year-old starter for the Nuggets. This is his 16th season in the NBA, the second with the Rockets.

TIP-INS

Rockets: Ariza finished with 15 points, after missing his last eight 3-pointers. … Harden is averaging 30.3 points in the series. He’s 38 for 91 from the floor (41.8 percent). … Capela is leading the league in the playoffs in rebounding, averaging 14 per game.

Timberwolves: Backup point guard Tyus Jones was available on an emergency-only basis because of a sore right knee. Rose played 33 minutes. … Butler (19 points) and Andrew Wiggins (14 points) combined to shoot 12 for 31 from the floor.

UP NEXT

The series shifts back south to Houston for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

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Aaron Hicks hit three home runs and the New York Yankees pummeled David Price again, connecting five times in the first four innings Sunday night on the way to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.

Luis Severino became the first 13-game winner in the majors, cruising through 6 2/3 shutout innings of two-hit ball after the Bronx Bombers quickly built him a big cushion. With the teams trading blowouts all weekend, the Yankees (54-27) took two of three from their longtime rivals to regain baseball’s best record and first place in the AL East.

Batting leadoff against a left-hander, Hicks homered twice from the right side of the plate and once from the left. He smacked a two-run shot to right field in the second inning and a solo drive to center in the fourth that chased Price (9-6) and made it 8-0.

Hicks pulled his 14th of the season into the right-field stands in the eighth off Hector Velazquez. It was the first three-homer game by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez, part of the ESPN broadcast team Sunday night Kerryon Johnson Jersey , accomplished the feat at Minnesota in July 2015.

CUBS 11, TWINS 10

CHICAGO (AP) – Jon Lester hit a three-run homer in an eight-run second inning and wound up with his NL-leading 11th victory.

Ian Happ also homered for the Cubs. They have scored at least 10 runs in four straight games for the first time since 1930. Chicago swept the three-game series and has won four in a row overall.

Lester (11-2) allowed four runs, two of them earned, and nine hits in five-plus innings.

Javier Baez, who doubled twice, Happ and Willson Contreras each had three hits.

Mitch Garver hit a two-run homer off reliever Dillon Maples in the Twins’ five-run eighth.

Cubs closer Brandon Morrow got one out in the eighth and pitched a scoreless ninth for his 18th save in 19 chances. Lance Lynn (5-7) was the loser.

Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer and Jake Cave also homered for the Twins.

RAYS 3, ASTROS 2.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Blake Snell struck out 10, reliever Diego Castillo fanned Jose Altuve in a key spot and Tampa Bay beat Houston to end a homestand.

The Rays went 8-1 at Tropicana Field, taking three of four from the World Series champion Astros, sweeping three from the New York Yankees and winning both games against Washington. Tampa Bay set a team record by allowing no more than two runs in its sixth straight game.

Matt Duffy hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning that put the Rays ahead 2-1 and Mallex Smith homered in the eighth. Evan Gattis homered twice for Houston.

Snell (11-4) allowed one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Charlie Morton (10-2) struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings.

DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 4

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Matt Kemp had three hits and drove in four runs, including a go-ahead homer leading off the eighth inning that rallied Los Angeles past Colorado to prevent a sweep.

Kemp sent his 14th homer of the season over the center-field wall off Adam Ottavino (4-2) to put Los Angeles ahead 5-4. It was the Dodgers’ first homer of July after they hit a major league-leading and franchise-record 55 in June.

One out later, Yasiel Puig doubled and Joc Pederson followed and reached on an infield single to second. Puig ran hard into third and hopped back and forth before taking off for the plate, sliding belly first. He got up and swung his arms in wild celebration with the Dodgers ahead 6-4.

Kemp drove in the Dodgers’ first three runs with an RBI groundout in the first Mitch Haniger Seattle Mariners Jersey , a double in the third and a single in the fifth.

Daniel Hudson (3-2) went one inning. Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his 22nd save.

Nolan Arenado hit his 21st homer and had an RBI grounder for the Rockies.

GIANTS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 6

PHOENIX (AP) – Brandon Belt and Joe Panik drove in two runs each and Hunter Pence had a pinch-hit, two-run double, leading San Francisco to a series sweep against Arizona.

The Giants had 11 hits in the first five innings and cruised to their seventh win in eight games.

A four-run fifth inning highlighted by Pence’s double off reliever Silvino Bracho gave the Giants an 8-3 lead. Cory Gearrin (1-1) got one out in the fourth to earn the win in relief of starter Derek Holland.

The Giants tagged Diamondbacks starter Zack Godley (9-6) for seven runs on nine hits in four-plus innings, ending his four-game winning streak.

Arizona rallied with two runs in the seventh on Paul Goldschmidt’s 18th home run of the season, and Jarrod Dyson became the eighth player in team history to record at least two hits, two runs batted in and two stolen bases in a single game. The Diamondbacks brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth with two outs, but Will Smith struck out Jake Lamb for Smith’s second save.

ORIOLES 8, ANGELS 2

BALTIMORE (AP) – Manny Machado and Mark Trumbo hit consecutive homers after the Angels lost a popup in the sun, and Baltimore beat Los Angeles to end a seven-game losing streak.

After the Orioles took charge with a six-run fourth inning, Trumbo homered again in the fifth and Trey Mancini also connected to help Baltimore secure its only victory during a seven-game homestand that began with four straight losses to Seattle. The Orioles improved to 1-15 against the AL West and won at home for only the second time in 19 games since May 13.

Kevin Gausman (4-6) weathered temperatures in the upper 90s to go eight innings, allowing two runs and six hits to end a run of eight straight winless starts.

Kole Calhoun homered and Albert Pujols drove in a run for the Angels.

Deck McGuire (0-1) was the loser.

MARINERS 1, ROYALS 0

SEATTLE (AP) – James Paxton limited Ka.
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