HOUSTON -- The Rockets offence is one of the best in the NBA. However, against Golden State on Friday night, it was the defence that was the key. Houston leaned on its defence in the first quarter while jumping out to a double-digit lead it didnt relinquish. James Harden scored 34 points, Dwight Howard had 22 points and 18 rebounds, and the Rockets beat the Warriors 105-83. Terrence Jones added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who had lost two straight. Harden shot 13 for 22 from the field and 7 for 9 on free throws two nights after shooting 3 for 17 -- including 0 for 10 on 3-pointers -- against Phoenix. Howard was 12 for 20 on free throws as the Rockets finished 25 for 39 from the line. Houston was also 45 per cent from the field. "Thats the way we play," Harden said. "If we dont get after them on the defensive end, its going to be tough for us. We were getting huge stops and getting out in transition. We did a good job early in the game of putting pressure on their guards, and we got things going our way." Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points and five assists, but was just 5 of 14 from the field while making all 11 free-throw attempts. Harrison Barnes had 14 points and seven rebounds, Kent Bazemore added 12 and David Lee 11 points as the Warriors saw their two-game win streak end. Golden State shot 36 per cent from the field, including 2 for 16 on 3s. "Theyre a tough team," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "They shoot a lot of 3s. They shoot them at a really high percentage. We were trying to get them off the line and keep pressure on them and keep our bids up so they just couldnt walk into shots. For the most part, we did a very good job of that." Golden State coach Mark Jackson said it was a bad loss. "The way we started the ball game, there have been times when our bench has been bad, and we let them know, and tonight, the starters did a poor job of setting the tone," Jackson said. "We got outworked. They played with more force and that set the tone the rest of the way." The Rockets led 61-37 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 28 on Hardens three-point play less than 2 minutes into the third quarter. Golden State pulled to 74-50 on Jermaine ONeals jumper midway through the third, and the Warriors resorted to Hack-a-Howard with 5:40 remaining in the period. Howard made 2 of 4 from the line, and the Warriors pulled to 76-54 on ONeals layup with 5:06 to go in the quarter. Howard connected on the next two free throws, and the Warriors went away from hacking him. Golden State got no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. "Its like tonight we didnt hit shots early, and we have a tendency to dwell on that, and we werent getting stops and we cant turn the ball over on offence," Curry said. "We gave them extra possessions early in the game to get their confidence going." Houston opened up a 31-12 lead after the first quarter on 60-per cent shooting from the field. The Rockets hit nine of their first 11 field goals as Jones led the way with 11 points in the quarter and Howard had nine. "We did the best job we could on making sure those guys didnt get 3s off tonight, and thats where it started," Howard said. "Our defence was great from the beginning. We had a lot of deflections. We ran the floor well and put pressure on their guards to make plays to other guys instead of them coming off and scoring." Golden State opened the second with five straight points to pull within 14 on Currys 3, but the Rockets responded with a 16-6 spurt over a 5-minute stretch to open up a 55-30 lead on Patrick Beverleys layup with 1:30 to go in the half. Harden had eight points in the run. The Warriors shot 27 per cent from the field and hit 1 of 8 from beyond the arc in the first half after scoring 19 points in the first quarter three nights earlier against Toronto and trailing by 17 at the half. "I know there is a reason for it thats excusable," Klay Thompson said of the slow starts. "Its very disappointing. As a starter, we have to come out there with unlimited energy." NOTES: Houston forward Chandler Parsons returned after missing the last two games with back spasms. Parsons finished with eight points and five assists on 3-of-13 shooting in 34 minutes. ... The Warriors 12 first quarter points tied a season low for a quarter and was the Warriors fewest points in a first quarter. ... The 12 first-quarter points was also a season-low for points in a quarter allowed by the Rockets. Shoes Outlet . Whenever United loses, its crisis. When other top teams slip up, its the quirky nature of the Premier League. The predictable reaction speaks to the sky-high expectations for a team proven perennial contender and 13 times Premier League champion. Black Friday Shoes . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons. https://www.fakeshoeswholesale.com/. -- Michael Phelps is 0 for 1 in his comeback to the pool. Clearance Shoes . Milan was held to 1-1 at home by Torino. Cagliari scored six minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla blasted home from the penalty spot after Facundo Roncaglia tripped Marco Sau. The home side could have doubled its tally in stoppage time as first Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic almost scored an own goal then Albin Ekdals shot clipped the top of the upright. Shoes China . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. Thompson scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points in his season debut to help the Golden State Warriors to a 106-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.TORONTO -- Dont expect Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen to shed any tears for cs current crisis in defence. "Weve lost far more than them over the first eight games of our season and nobody felt sorry for us," Nelsen said prior to Friday nights game in Kansas City. "Just because theyre missing two or three, were missing three in our midfield. So actually were probably hurting more than them, to tell you the truth." Nelsen notes he has been able to use his starting lineup once this season, a reference likely to the D.C. United game back in March. While Toronto (4-4-0) has question-marks in midfield, the defensive cupboard is almost completely bare for Kansas City (5-4-2). Matt Besler is with the U.S. World Cup team while Lawrence Olum has been summoned by the Kenyan national team for a two-legged Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Aurelien Collin is nursing a hamstring injury and Ike Opara is out for the season after ankle surgery. To make matters worse, 17-year-old defender Erik Palmer-Brown was sent off for two yellow cards in his MLS debut last weekend, a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire that saw Kansas City give up two penalties. So Palmer-Brown is suspended for Fridays game. Kansas City is also without key attacking midfielder Graham Zusi, whos with the U.S. team. Manager Peter Vermes started the Chicago game with a 3-5-2 formation, with Palmer-Brown between fullbacks Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic at the back, in a bid to work around his lack of defensive options. He had to return to a four-man backline after Palmer-Browns ejection. Palmer-Brown, reportedly a target of Juventus, still made history by becoming the youngest defender to start an MLS game. He turned 17 on April 24. Collin and defensive midfielder Uri Rosell, who could drop back in defence, may be healthy enough to play Friday. But with three games in eight days -- Kansas City hosts the Red Bulls next Tuesday and visits D.C. United on May 31 -- Vermes will likely not want to rush players back. While the MLS champions are still a quality team, they have lost two straight. And a makeshift defence would seem like catnip to Torontos Jermain Defoe, who has five goals in all competitions. Nelsen has questions of his own, facing five games in 15 days. He has lost American midfielder Michael Bradley and Brazilian goalie Julio Cesar to the World Cup.dddddddddddd. Brazilian Jackson (concussion) is not expected to play and fellow midfielder Jonathan Osorio is doubtful (hamstring, hand injury). Nelsens other questions are selection-related. Rookie defender Nick Hagglund had a strong game against New York in place of Doneil Henry while Bradley Orr, pushed up into midfield, also impressed. Henry, 21, already has 40 MLS starts under his belt but has made some costly errors in recent games. Nelsen, perhaps easing the blow, said he was moved to the bench against the Red Bulls because he had played 120 minutes midweek in Vancouver and had a few knocks. Hagglunds fine play against French star Thierry Henry and Englands Bradley Wright-Phillips, the leagues leading scorer, may extended Henrys time on the sidelines. "Nick was brilliant," said Nelsen. Nelsen, while not showing his hand, rejected the suggestion that time on the bench might offer a mixed message to Henry whom he regularly talks up. "I sat on the bench at D.C. United and I was three years older than Doneil. They sat me," said Nelsen. "Its going to happen. Its going to happen when youre 20, its going to happen when hes playing in the Premier league or in the top level." "Theyre not bumps, theyre life experiences that youve got to deal with. Everyone deals with them in any job, in any profession ... its just how you react." "Generally the best ones find a way on the field pretty quickly," he added. The 21-year-old Hagglund has already won kudos on the field for his no fear approach. Off the field, his bubbly personality is also appreciated. "Hes a massive part of this squad, this changing room, for such a young kid," said captain Steven Caldwell. "He takes a lot of stick. He laughs, he smiles. His personality rubs off on everybody, Hes a pleasure to have here." Nelsen could retain Orr in central midfield and has newly acquired Collen Warner available, although he may have to play on the flank if Osorio, as expected, cant go. Warner was the last man off the practice field Wednesday, chatting with Nelsen en route to the locker-room. Rookie Daniel Lovitz, who has impressed since returning from loan in Wilmington, is another midfield option. Torontos career record against Kansas City is 4-10-4, including 1-7-1 on the road. ' ' '