James Harden scored 34 points and Dwight Howard had 19 points and eight rebounds to keep the Houston Rockets’ playoff hopes alive with a 129-105 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

Harden made 12 of 21 shots in three quarters, Trevor Ariza scored 21 points and the Rockets made 15 of 30 3-pointers. Houston (40-41) entered the game in ninth place in the Western Conference and one game behind Utah for the final spot.

Shabazz Muhammad scored 23 points and Zach LaVine scored 21 for the Timberwolves, who were looking for their first four-game winning streak since 2012. Karl-Anthony Towns was held to 12 points and five rebounds and Minnesota was just 5 for 21 from 3-point range.