HOUSTON -- James Harden was out with a thumb injury, and then Dwight Howard got off to a slow start. Claude Giroux Jersey . It sure looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Houston Rockets. Then everything changed in the third quarter. Howard got back on track and a pair of role players stepped up to help Houston rally for a 97-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. The Rockets trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half before scoring 33 in the third to go on top. San Antonio used an 11-3 spurt to pull within two in the final minutes, but Howard and Jeremy Lin helped Houston hold on for the win. "We just kept grinding it out," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We changed a couple of things defensively and the guys kind of dug in and got stops." Howard had 23 points and 16 rebounds for Houston, which enjoyed a 55-39 advantage on the glass. Terrence Jones scored 21 points and Lin added 18 points and eight assists while starting in Hardens spot. Harden, who leads the team with 23.7 points a game, was out with a bruised left thumb. "I know I missed a lot of shots early," Howard said. "I didnt lose focus. I got a little frustrated because I wanted to make those shots, especially against Tim (Duncan). But I just tried to stick with it and show the team that no matter what Im going to battle." Boris Diaw scored a season-high 22 points for the Spurs, and he also had 11 rebounds. Tony Parker added 17 points and Duncan had 12 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Houston was clinging to a 90-88 lead with less than two minutes left when Howard had a dunk and Lin made a jumper. Duncan had a layup on the other end, but Lin sunk a pair of free throws to secure the victory. Houston has won all three meetings with the Southwest Division-leading Spurs to secure the season series for the first time since 1996-97. They have one scheduled game left on April 14 in Houston. San Antonios 90-point performance ended a streak of 15 straight games with at least 100 points and sent the Spurs to consecutive losses for the first time this season. The last time they were held below 100 was a 111-98 loss to Houston on Christmas Day. The Spurs got within six on a hook shot by Diaw early in the fourth quarter. Lin then scored five quick points to extend Houstons lead to 81-70. Houston was up by four points with four minutes left in the third quarter when San Antonio resorted to the "Hack-a-Howard" defence, fouling the centre every time the Rockets got the ball. Howard made 13 of 25 foul shots on the night, leaving him at 52.2 per cent from the line for the season. "I figured they were going to do it," he said. "Im just glad I made most of them." Duncan lamented that the tactic backfired for the Spurs. "Thats what he had to do to get us out of it," Duncan said. "He made free throws and he hurt us with them." The Spurs employed the strategy on eight straight possessions, with Howard making 10 foul shots while they had six points as Houston extended its lead to 70-62. Diaw made a jump shot at the end of the third quarter to cut Houstons lead to 72-64 entering the fourth. The Rockets opened the second half with an 11-2 run, capped by a two-handed dunk by Howard, to take their first lead of the game at 50-48. Lin started the run with a 3-pointer and also had two free throws in the surge. Manu Ginobili made four free throws for San Antonio before Houston scored six straight points to take a 56-52 lead. Ginobili and Chandler Parsons then exchanged rim-rattling dunks in rapid succession. The 36-year-old Ginobili injured himself on his jam and was soon limping and holding his upper left leg. He remained in the game for a bit before walking off the court and into the locker room at the next timeout. The team said he had tightness in his left hamstring. He missed time earlier this month with the same problem. San Antonio led by 10 points in the second quarter before Howard made his first basket of the night after starting the game 0 for 8. The bucket was the first of five straight points for Howard with San Antonios only points in that stretch coming on a layup by Marco Belinelli, helping Houston close to 46-39 at halftime. Houston struggled early without Harden and San Antonio jumped to a 9-0 lead thanks to five points from Diaw. The Spurs pushed the lead to 21-6 with about five minutes left in the first. NOTES: Harden injured his thumb in Houstons last game at Memphis on Saturday. ... Diaw has scored at least 10 points 20 times this season. Brian Propp Jersey . The commissioners office said Friday that Sears tested positive for metabolites of Methandienone. Sears will be 23 in March. He signed with the Braves in June 2013 out of Arizona Christian, an NAIA school, and is on the roster of the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Braves. Shayne Gostisbehere Jersey . Lynchs attorney, Ivan Golde, told The Associated Press on Thursday of the plea deal that was reached with the Alameda County District Attorney Office. The plea will be formally entered in court in Oakland, Calif. http://www.nhlflyersproauthentic.com/dale-weise-hockey-jersey/ . As a follow-up, TSN.ca offers you the opportunity to chime in on all the big issues with our insiders. Read up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature.(SportsNetwork.com) - LeBron James has lifted the Miami Heat within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals, and hell try to finish off the Brooklyn Nets when the two sides meet in Game 5 of the East semis Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. After the two-time defending champion Heat lost Game 3 in Brooklyn, James, the MVP runner-up, put Miami on his back in Game 4 Wednesday night, a 102-96 victory. James scored 49 points, matching his career-high in the playoffs, and the Heat bounced back two days after having their eight-game postseason winning streak snapped. James was 16-of-24 from the field and 14-of-19 at the foul line. He missed a free throw with 1.1 seconds left and a chance to reach 50. He also scored 49 points for Cleveland in Game 1 of the 2009 conference finals against Orlando. "Whatever I needed to do to help us win, it needed to be done -- offensively, defensively, being the leader that I am on the floor, helping us overcome any adversity," said James. Dwyane Wade added 15 points for the second-seeded Heat, Chris Bosh scored 12 and Ray Allen had 11 off the bench. Miami shot just shy of 53 percent. Joe Johnson had 18 points to lead a well-rounded Nets effort. Paul Pierce chipped in 16 and Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston both scored 13. James piicked up his fifth foul and Kevin Garnett made two free throws to tie the score with less than a minute to go. Travis Sanheim Jersey. Surrounded by Garnett and Pierce down low, James kicked the ball back to Mario Chalmers up top and Chalmers swung it to Bosh in the right corner. Bosh buried the 3-pointer to break the tie, sparking an 8-2 Miami run to end the game. James had that free throw with a hair over one second left for the magical 50- point plateau, but missed, and he muttered something to himself. "Thats the first time Ive been disappointed in myself in a win," said James. "It definitely wont take away from the fact it was a huge game for us, being able to win this ball game. "But it was a free throw. I hate missing free throws." Now the series shifts back to South Beach, where the Heat are 4-0 this postseason. Brooklyn took both regular-season meetings in Miami and this veteran-laden squad isnt booking tee times just yet. "The series is far from over," said Pierce. "Weve got to go down there, try to get one game and force the series back at home. Just one, weve just got to get one game. Thats the mindset." Miami will try to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight season. If necessary, Game 6 would be Friday night in Brooklyn. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '