Vengeance sweet for Zdeno Chara, James Harden in 1st trips back

Wednesday night provided fireworks for a pair of superstars returning to their longtime homes.

Former Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (now with the Washington Capitals) and erstwhile Houston Rockets guard James Harden (with the Brooklyn Nets) notched victories over their old teams.

Harden had a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in the first meeting with his former Houston teammates, and the Nets won 132-114 to hand the Rockets their 13th straight loss.

It was the eighth triple-double for Harden this season and his second straight after he had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 15 assists without a turnover in an overtime victory at San Antonio on Monday night. He didn’t play as clean of a game Wednesday when he had eight turnovers.

Harden got a mixed reception from the crowd. Many of the 3,615 fans booed when he was introduced before the game, and more boos came the first few times he touched the ball.

The Rockets played a video showcasing some of the countless highlights of his eight seasons in Houston during a timeout in the first quarter. There were more cheers than boos as it played. Harden stepped out of the huddle and raised his arms before placing his hands in a praying position to acknowledge the fans as it ended.

In Boston, Jakub Vrana had the only score in the shootout, and the Capitals beat the Bruins, 2-1, in Chara’s return.

The 43-year-old Chara, the Bruins’ captain for his 14 seasons with the club, signed a one-year contract as a free agent with the Capitals in the offseason. He helped Boston win the 2011 Stanley Cup and was a key part of its runner-up teams in 2013 and 2019.

The Bruins played a video tribute for Chara on the Jumbotron during the first TV stoppage. With fans unable to be in the building because of the covid-19 pandemic, there were messages thanking him.

It was Chara’s first time playing in Boston as an opponent in nearly 15 years, the last coming with Ottawa on March 16, 2006.