Rockets at Thunder
With its playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Oklahoma City opens up a
crucial three-game homestand against surging Houston on Sunday. The
Thunder have won six of nine overall but have still seen their lead over
New Orleans for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western
Conference reduced to a half-game entering Saturday.
While the Pelicans were winning Friday in Sacramento, Oklahoma City dropped a tough 100-92 decision in Memphis to tighten the race. Houston's bid for the second seed in the West is looking like it will go down to the wire with Memphis, as the two squads pulled into Saturday tied. The Rockets have won six of seven and nine of 11 following a 108-101 win a Dallas on Thursday, riding 24 points from James Harden in the opener of a three-game road trip. Houston has claimed the first two meetings with the Thunder this season in very different ways, posting a sluggish 69-65 victory at Oklahoma City on Nov. 16 and then claiming a 112-101 triumph in the rematch at Houston on Jan. 15.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (52-24): Houston may have a league MVP hopeful in James Harden, but for it to have sustained success in the postseason center Dwight Howard needs to rediscover his form in an injury-plagued campaign. He was productive (eight points, seven rebounds in 18 minutes) in his limited action Thursday at Dallas and sparked a fourth-quarter surge that helped the Rockets dominate down the stretch. "Having 'Big Fella' back today kind of helped us out a little bit," Harden said of Howard, who missed the previous two games to rest his ailing knee."We've got to get his rhythm going because we're going to need him in the postseason."
ABOUT THE THUNDER (42-34): Russell Westbrook has done so much heavy lifting for Oklahoma City this season, and it is possible that the workload is beginning to take a toll. He was limited to 18 points - more than nine below his league-leading average - on 5-of-20 shooting in the loss to Memphis and owns a field-goal percentage of 33.3 over his last five games, including 6-of-33 from long range. Westbrook, who had 16 points in his only game against Houston this season, also has 38 assists against 28 turnovers in that span.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Houston has 876 made 3-pointers this season, 15 shy of matching the NBA record set by the 2012-13 New York Knicks.
2. Thunder C Enes Kanter had 24 points and 17 rebounds in the loss to Memphis but also had X-rays taken on his neck after the game, which came back negative.
3. Rockets SF Trevor Ariza, whose season scoring average is 12.8, has produced at least 13 points in six straight games.