Rockets 118, Thunder 110
HOUSTON -- James Harden delivered on both ends of the court and the Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-110 on Sunday at Toyota Center to keep their postseason hopes afloat.
Harden had game-high 41 points with nine assists and three steals, including one with 37 seconds left that preceded his full-court pass to Patrick Beverley, whose dunk game Houston (38-39) a 112-104 lead.
Beverley scored seven of his 12 points in the fourth quarter while Trevor Ariza added 18 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which recorded 22 offensive rebounds to offset 40.2 percent shooting. The Rockets finished with 20 more shot attempts than the Thunder (53-24).
Kevin Durant, victimized by the late Harden steal, paired 33 points with eight rebounds, but he bricked a pair of 3-point attempts in the fourth quarter. Russell Westbrook added 23 points, 13 boards and nine assists.
What the Rockets couldn't manage for most of the game were Thunder spurts. Houston turned a 14-3 run starting midway through the second quarter into a 50-43 lead when Harden strung together a driving layup and four free throws around 3-pointers from Ariza and Beverley.
But that momentum dissipated quickly, with the Thunder closing the half with a 10-2 burst to take a 52-53 lead into the intermission. That rally was fueled by three late Houston turnovers, with Westbrook adding a layup to his three-point play and a fast-break dunk by Durant.
The Thunder extended that run into the third quarter, with Durant rolling off 10 consecutive points during a 12-0 push that lifted Oklahoma City to a 69-57 lead.
The Rockets' success on the offense glass had helped pave an early lead, and they rallied using similar tactics.
Behind Harden, who turned the tables with a transition basket and a 3, Houston closed to within 74-72. When Harden drilled a step-back jumper with 1:00 left in the third, Houston had surged ahead 78-77.
Houston had little-used K.J. McDaniels and Andrew Goudelock to thank for helping Harden reverse moment. In the fourth, Harden took over.
NOTES: Rockets F Sam Dekker will travel with the team to Dallas this week and meet with a physician to determine his availability moving forward. Dekker has missed most of his rookie season following back surgery, last playing 10 seconds against the Kings on Nov. 6. ... Thunder coach Billy Donovan played his usual starting lineup and rotation after postseason teams resting regulars impacted the outcome of recent games against the Spurs (March 26), Pistons (March 29) and Clippers (March 31). ... The Rockets' loss to the Bulls on Thursday continued their recent trend of four-quarter collapses at home. The Rockets surrendered a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter against Chicago and were outscored by eight against the Jazz on March 23. Even in defeating the Raptors on March 25, Houston surrendered nearly all of its 12-point lead before winning 112-109.