WASHINGTON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- James Harden scored a game-high 38 points, Clint Capela collected a double-double as the Houston Rockets smashed the Denver Nuggets 112-85 on Thursday night.

Denver opened the game with a 6-0 run and stretched it to 23-16 to spur coach Mike D'Antoni to call a timeout.

The Rockets woke up and spurred a stunning 40-19 run to erase the deficit which gave them a 62-44 lead into the halftime break.

Denver scored a string of six points in the third quarter before Eric Gordon hit a driving layup that given all the separation Houston would need.

The Rockets surpassed the century mark on a 3-pointer by Harden for a 100-78 lead to put the game out of reach in the fourth period and then both sides cleared their benches till the end.

Eric Gordon hit 18 points coming off the bench, Capela added 17 points and 15 rebounds. Jamal Murray scored 20 points, Nikola Jokic and Monte Morris each had 16.