NBA Saturday: Thunder again roll the Rockets

Hornets 98, Bobcats 95

Eric Gordon played his first game as a max player ... and delivered, leading the Hornets with 24 points. Charlotte has now lost 18 straight games. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist left briefly due to a scratched cornea, but threw on some goggles and played the second half.

Thunder 124, Rockets 94

Say, Houston’s massive defensive problems are ... a problem? How about that?

In Harden’s first meeting with the Thunder a month ago, Oklahoma City’s former Sixth Man of the Year saw six of his shots get swatted on a night in which he’d finish 3 for 16 from the field. Harden did manage to scrap together 17 points but that didn’t help his team much as the Rockets were crushed, 120-98.

Round two between these teams should be far more competitive though as the Rockets have looked like an entirely different team since that game. Oklahoma City’s first victory back in November knocked Houston under .500 but since that time, they’re 9-4. Additionally, the Rockets are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak in which they’ve averaged 112.4 points per contest. Those gaudy numbers have propelled Houston to the honor of the highest scoring team in the National Basketball Association at 105.3 ppg.