Harden gets last laugh as Rockets top Westbrook, Thunder
HOUSTON -- Nene sank two free throws with 0.7 seconds left and the Houston Rockets eked out a 118-116 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night at Toyota Center.
Nene was fouled after breaking free on an inbounds play with 3.8 seconds left. The Rockets (28-9) regained possession after Thunder guard Russell Westbrook missed a pull-up jumper with 5.7 seconds left. Westbrook scored 49 points, sinking a career-best eight 3-pointers. He added eight rebounds and five assists for the Thunder (21-16), who fell for the second time in three meetings with the Rockets.
Houston guard James Harden posted 26 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists. All five Rockets starters scored in double figures with Nene adding a season-high 18 points. Eric Gordon scored 22 off the bench.
After the Rockets erased a 14-point deficit with a 25-point turnaround in the first half, the Thunder did them four better in the fourth quarter, wiping away an 18-point deficit when Victor Oladipo nailed a corner 3 for a 116-114 lead with 1:55 remaining. The Thunder bludgeoned the Rockets on the boards in the period, chipping away behind Enes Kanter (15 points, 13 rebounds) and, of course, Westbrook.
Westbrook scored nine points in the fourth. Oklahoma City scored 20 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.
The Thunder weren't shy about utilizing its size advantage in the post early with center Steven Adams serving as a battering ram in the paint, forcing the Rockets to reluctantly double on the low block.
Adams converted a short hook shot, a pair of free throws and a thunderous dunk before Westbrook nailed consecutive 3s to stretch the Thunder lead to 31-17 with 3:09 left in the first quarter. But Gordon followed with his first trey to spark the Rockets, who closed the first with a 16-7 run to slice the deficit.
Houston got everything it wanted in the second quarter, riding a 13-2 run to its first lead via a Nene dunk at the 7:11 mark. The Rockets recorded 12 points in transition while hitting 4 of 8 3-pointers and 8 of 11 from the free-throw line. Their defense enjoyed a significant reversal from the first quarter, limiting the Thunder to 7-of-24 shooting after allowing Oklahoma City to shoot 62.5 percent in the first.
Gordon posted 13 points in the second quarter and the Rockets closed the half with 18 fast-break points and a 67-56 lead. But when the Thunder siphoned off those transition baskets its half court defense dug in and slowed the Rockets to a crawl starting late in the third and deep into the fourth.
NOTES: Rockets G Patrick Beverley returned to the starting lineup after missing two games with a right wrist sprain. Houston improved to 8-5 without Beverley, who is still experiencing pain in the wrist when he shoots, with victories over the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards. He was sidelined the first 11 games after preseason knee surgery. ... The Rockets and Thunder offered a contrast in styles, at least in theory. Houston entered Thursday leading the NBA with 540 3-pointers, 101 more than the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Thunder entered second in paint points, averaging 50.2 per game. However, the Rockets were sixth at 45.7 per game. ... In two previous games against the Thunder, both in Oklahoma City, Rockets G James Harden averaged just 17 points on 25.6 percent shooting.