James Harden scored a season-high 43 points in three quarters, and the Rockets routed the Kings 129-103 on Tuesday night.
Harden helped Houston go ahead by 25 points in the first quarter, 31 in the second and 33 in the third. He shot 11 of 20 from the floor, made 15 of 16 free throws and added eight assists, three steals and two rebounds.
Dwight Howard left briefly after banging his right knee but returned to finish with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Chandler Parsons had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, who have won 10 of their last 11 games.
DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points and six rebounds for the Kings before needing to be restrained after getting ejected in the third quarter. He picked up his NBA-leading 14th and 15th technical fouls.
Rudy Gay added 25 points and six assists, and Ben McLemore scored 15 points for Sacramento.
Information from Espn.com contributed to this report.