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Harden dazzles, then Raptors rally past Rockets in Japan

When James Harden’s night was over, defence got easier for the Toronto Raptors.

Pascal Siakam scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and the Raptors — in their first game since winning the NBA Finals — rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 134-129 in Tokyo on Tuesday to open the NBA Japan Games.

The exhibition game at the Saitama Super Arena, a site for basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was the NBA’s first in Japan since 2003. The Rockets and Raptors return there to conclude the two-game series on Thursday.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse said he liked the arena and felt energy from the Japanese fans.