WASHINGTON - The Houston Rockets rallied past the New York Knicks 117-102 in NBA actions on Saturday.

James Harden scored 37 points and 10 assists as the Rockets had to erase New York's early 22-point lead by making 18 3-pointers and getting 44 points from their bench, led by 17 from Ryan Anderson.

"That's what a team is about. The starters aren't always going to get it done," Harden said. "The bench came in with that energy, we started trimming the deficit down, and in the second half we put on a show defensively, especially in the third quarter."

New York starters Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter sat out the game because of back ailments.