Kevin Durant had 33 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an easy 117-86 victory over the Houston Rockets in James Harden's first visit to Chesapeake Energy Arena this season. Harden managed just eight points on 2-for-9 shooting in the loss.
Rockets vs. Thunder final score: Kevin Durant pours in 33 points as Oklahoma City blasts Houston, 117-86
Kevin Durant outplayed James Harden, his former teammate, in Harden’s first visit to Oklahoma City this season.
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Durant went 11-for-17 from the field as the Thunder shot a scorching 57.3 percent. Oklahoma City made 10 threes on the night and held a tired Houston team playing its fourth game in five nights to just 36.5 percent shooting.
While Durant was brilliant, the Thunder also got some key performances from a few of their youngsters in the absence of injured star Russell Westbrook. Jeremy Lamb scored a career-high 22 points off the bench, making eight of his 10 attempts from the field and shooting 3-for-4 from three. Reggie Jackson added 16 points and eight assists.
Oklahoma City started fast and never looked back, opening up a 26-14 lead after one quarter. The Rockets managed to keep the deficit at 12 at the break, but things got ugly in the third. The Thunder led by 20 heading into the final frame and poured it on in the final 12 minutes.
Harden was one of many Rockets to struggle on the night. Dwight Howard scored just nine points on 4-for-13 shooting, while Jeremy Lin and Terrence Jones combined to shoot 3-for-14. Aaron Brooks had 17 points off the bench to lead Houston in scoring.
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