Raptors 99, Rockets 96: DeMar DeRozan scored a career-high 42 points and matched his career best with 11 rebounds to lead host Toronto.

Jonas Valanciunas added 15 points, nine rebounds and matched his career high with five blocks for the Raptors, who have won eight straight at home against the Rockets. Lou Williams scored 13 points off the bench and Amir Johnson grabbed 16 rebounds for Toronto, which pulled within a game of the Chicago Bulls for third in the East.

James Harden scored 31 points for the Rockets but shot 9-for-22, the 21st straight game he has failed to make at least half his field-goal attempts as Houston slipped a half-game behind second place Memphis in the Western Conference. Trevor Ariza added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Corey Brewer scored 13 off the bench for Houston, which sat starting center Dwight Howard in the second of back-to-back games following his return last week from a two-month absence due to a knee injury.

DeRozan missed two free throws with 45 seconds left that would have stretched the lead to three, but the Raptors won a jump ball shortly afterward and DeRozan nailed a jumper over Harden for a 99-96 lead with 18.1 seconds left. Ariza had two chances to tie the score but the first 3-point attempt was well defended and the second was a last-second heave.

Houston led by as many as nine in the opening quarter and 11 in the second but missed nine of its first 11 field-goal attempts to start the second half and the Raptors surged ahead for the first time at 59-57 on back-to-back baskets by Terrence Ross and DeRozan. Five more unanswered points by DeRozan stretched the advantage to 64-57 just past the midway point of the third quarter but the score again tightened up heading into the fourth.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston rookie C Clint Capela, who had played a total of 20 minutes in six appearances this season and missed all 10 of his field-goal attempts, finished with season highs of eight points on 4-for-5 shooting and nine rebounds. … The Raptors improved to 4-21 this season when trailing after the third quarter. … Toronto PG Kyle Lowry, the team’s second-leading scorer, missed his fifth game in the last six with a sore back.