HOUSTON - The Houston Rockets finished off the preseason with a solid defensive effort against the San Antonio Spurs. Bob Davies Jersey .James Harden scored 25 points, and Houston used a big run before halftime to beat San Antonio 96-87 on Friday night.Harden struggled in the first half, going 2 for 9 from the field for five points. But he scored 20 in the third on 7-for-10 shooting, and then rested during the final period.The Rockets held the Spurs to 41 per cent shooting. They also forced 16 San Antonio turnovers, 13 in the first half.We got more physical, Houston coach Kevin McHale said. We got a little tighter. Everyone got into their guys. In the second, we had active hands and tried not to give them anything easy. Our defence has been solid as long as we keep our eyes on people and be aggressive.Isaiah Canaan had 18 points, including the final seven points after San Antonio had cut the lead to two. Terrence Jones had 11 points and 13 rebounds, and Trevor Ariza added 11 points and nine boards for the Rockets, who shot 42 per cent from the floor, including 15 of 35 from behind the arc.The Spurs did a good job of not giving up with the big lead we had, Canaan said. We just wanted to seal the deal, so I just made a couple shots to kind of put the icing on the cake.Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 19 points, and Danny Green scored 14. Tim Duncan had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Tony Parker finished with eight points and 10 assists.We look very poor, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. We looked like were not very interested. Sure we look for our guys to kick it up a notch. We obviously dont want them to kick it down a notch.The Rockets used a 22-5 run over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the second to open a 49-32 halftime lead. Ariza had seven points in the surge.San Antonio had one field goal during Houstons big run, a Parker jumper with 6:52 remaining. The Spurs started the quarter 3 for 4 from the field but finished 1 of 11 and missed their final seven shots.Its the last preseason game, and I just cant wait until the season starts, Parker said. This was preseason, and it doesnt mean anything.The Spurs cut the lead down to two with two minutes left in the fourth on an Austin Daye 3-pointer, but they couldnt complete the comeback.Houston played without centre Dwight Howard, who suffered a laceration in his right forearm that required stitches. He is listed as day to day.TIP-INSSpurs: San Antonio signed forward Robert Vaden, who most recently played overseas for Belfius Mons-Hainault in Belgium, where he averaged nine points and 1.6 rebounds in 10 games this season. . San Antonio also signed forward Equan Edwin. Edwin, who played four seasons at Seton Hall, was on Oklahoma Citys Orlando summer league team.Rockets: Houston claimed forward Earl Clark off waivers and requested waivers for forward Josh Powell, general manager Daryl Morey announced.TIMEOUTPopovich used all five of his second-half timeouts in the third quarter. The Spurs were issued a technical in the fourth quarter for calling another timeout.UP NEXTThe Spurs and Rockets open the regular season on Tuesday night. San Antonio hosts Dallas, and Houston is at the Los Angeles Lakers. Adrian Smith Jersey .com) - Colorado forward P. Cory Joseph Jersey . Quarterback Drew Willy appeared to injure his throwing hand on the third last play of practice Thursday. BROOKLYN, Mich. -- Jimmie Johnson finally won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. The six-time series champion won Sunday for the first time in 25 Cup starts at MIS, outlasting pole winner Kevin Harvick by 1.214 seconds. It was Johnsons third victory in four races -- and the fifth in a row for Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also have won for Chevy and Hendrick during the streak that doesnt count Jamie McMurrays win for Chevy in the Sprint All-Star race last month. Brad Keselowski finished third Sunday after two straight runner-up showings at Dover and Pocono. Paul Menard was fourth, followed by Kasey Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt in the 400-mile, 200-lap race. Johnson had finished in the top five four times previously at Michigan, including a second-place showing in August 2011. He lost in August 2012 when his engine faltered with six laps remaining. Johnson led after 164 laps Sunday before stopping to pit and giving up the lead. He was back in front with about 10 laps to go following a cycle of pit stops by otherr drivers, and the No. Jack Twyman Jersey. 48 Chevy led by a comfortable margin down the stretch. Hendrick had four drivers in the top seven. Johnson is trying for his seventh Cup title, which would tie the mark shared by Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt. This was his 69th career victory, and hes the first driver with three wins in 2014. There are now only four tracks on the current schedule where Johnson has never won -- Kentucky, Watkins Glen, Chicagoland and Homestead-Miami. Its the third time Hendrick has won five straight races. The team accomplished the feat twice in 2007, including a six-race streak. Gordons sixth-place finish was enough to keep him atop the points race, with Johnson moving up two spots to second. Ford had won the last three Cup races at Michigan, with Joey Logano prevailing last August and Greg Biffle winning twice before that. Keselowski couldnt extend that streak, and Logano finished ninth. It was a rough day for Roush Fenway Racing, which has a record 13 Cup victories at Michigan. Biffle finished 20th and Carl Edwards was 23rd. ' ' '