Rockets 110, Thunder 105
HOUSTON -- James Harden rediscovered his shooting stroke, and Ty Lawson had his best game with his new team as the Houston Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-105 Monday night at Toyota Center.
Harden finished with 37 points on 12-of-26 shooting and made more 3-pointers (four) than he did in his first three games combined. However, he also missed eight times from beyond the arc.
Lawson, an offseason acquisition from the Denver Nuggets, added 14 points, 11 assists and four steals for the Rockets (1-3).
Rockets center Dwight Howard (16 points, eight rebounds), maligned for his free-throw shooting, sank two foul shots to seal the win. His accuracy came after Thunder forward Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game in the final seconds.
Durant finished with 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting. Guard Russell Westbrook, whose 3-pointer with 44.2 seconds left cut the deficit to three points, added 25 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists for Oklahoma City (3-1).
What the Rockets sorely needed, some positive momentum, came in the form of foul trouble for Westbrook. With 9:24 remaining in the third quarter, Westbrook picked up his fourth foul and retreated to the bench.
Houston, trailing 71-57, immediately fashioned a rally, limiting the Thunder to just two field goals over the remainder of the period. The Rockets made headway defensively, forcing 10 Oklahoma City turnovers in the third while finally finding the bottom of the net, with forward Marcus Thornton and Harden drilling consecutive 3-pointers after the Rockets scored three successive baskets at the rim to close within 75-71.
While Oklahoma City scratched together four free throws late in the period, the Rockets kept running, finally reclaiming the lead at 80-79 on a 3-pointer from guard Patrick Beverley with 62 seconds left in the third.
The Durant/Westbrook tandem was prolific early, turning an early six-point deficit into a 23-19 lead by combining to score 18 consecutive points. By the close of the first quarter, the Thunder had made four of five 3-pointers, a stark contrast to the Rockets' woeful 1-for-9 shooting from deep. The Thunder continued their hot shooting in the second, ending the half 8-for-11 from behind the arc.
Durant and Westbrook closed the half with 33 combined points and the Thunder led 65-54 at the break. Harden nailed a trey at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 11 and set the stage for the ensuing rally.
NOTES: Rockets C Dwight Howard was back in the starting lineup after sitting out Sunday against the Miami Heat as precaution for his assorted ailments. The Rockets haven't fully committed to resting Howard for one game of every scheduled back-to-back, although that appears to be the plan early in the season. ... Rockets F Terrence Jones missed his second consecutive game with a lacerated right eyelid, an injury he sustained Friday against the Golden State Warriors. ... The Thunder earned high praise for their offensive exploits through the opening week, posting an offensive rating (111.7) that ranked second in the league despite an assist rate (52.6 percent) that was only 24th. ... Thunder first-year coach Billy Donovan got his first live look at Rockets F Corey Brewer, who starred for Donovan at Florida when the Gators won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006-07.