HOUSTON -- James Harden scored 26 of his 30 points in the middle two periods, and Corey Brewer exploded for 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Houston Rockets rally for a critical 121-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at Toyota Center.

Brewer scored six points during a 14-3 run that lifted the Rockets (54-26) to the lead before adding a transition basket for a 100-92 advantage with 8:12 left. The backup guard finished with 20 points.

Harden did not score in the fourth quarter, largely because the Pelicans (43-37) opted to intentionally foul Rockets forward Josh Smith and center Dwight Howard down the stretch. Houston scored its final 12 points from the free-throw line as Smith (15 points, seven rebounds) and Howard (19 points, 11 rebounds) combined to shoot 9-for-20 on foul shots.

Pelicans forward Anthony Davis scored a team-high 27 points, while guard Jrue Holiday added 17 points off the bench. Three Pelicans -- forward Quincy Pondexter, center Omer Asik and guard Eric Gordon -- chipped in 13 points as New Orleans remained in eighth place in the Western Conference by virtue of a loss by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Oklahoma City (43-37) and New Orleans (43-37) remain tied after the Thunder lost to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. The Pelicans own the tiebreaker thanks to three wins in the four-game series with the Thunder.

The Pelicans' exceptional shooting from all over the court kept Houston on its heels. That was particularly true early in the third quarter when the Rockets slipped into an eight-point deficit, fought back to pull even, then slid behind 78-69 on Davis' 19-foot jumper with 5:08 remaining.

Davis' hoop followed a pair of Gordon 3-pointers, a continuation of a stretch in which New Orleans got whatever it wanted whenever it wanted it offensively. However, suddenly Harden started cooking, attacking the rim with such ferocity that it awoke the Rockets from an offensive slumber.

Harden converted four drives to the basket inside the final two-plus minutes of the third period, including a layup with 6.2 seconds left that pulled the Rockets even at 86-86 heading into the fourth. Excluding Davis' alley-oop with 1:26 left, the Pelicans went the final four-plus minutes without a basket.

New Orleans fashioned a 10-point lead in the second quarter largely via its dominance on the offensive glass, turning nine offensive boards into 16 second-chance points by the intermission. Pondexter nailed a 3-pointer for a 48-38 lead before Harden came alive with a layup, a 3-pointer and a driving layup that cut the deficit to 54-52 with 36.1 seconds remaining in the first half.

NOTES: With G Jrue Holiday having returned on April 10 after missing 41 games with a stress reaction in his lower right leg, Pelicans coach Monty Williams is enjoying something that has been a rarity this season: a full complement of players. "It enhances my preparation to have all of our guys," Williams said. "At the same time you don't want to diminish the guys who did get a chance to play who wouldn't have played as much had we had a full complement." ... Pelicans F Dante Cunningham (right knee contusion) did participate. ... Rockets C Dwight Howard (right knee surgery) remains on a minutes restriction, which includes his avoiding back-to-back games. With his start against the Pelicans, Howard will not play Monday night in Charlotte against the Hornets.