The Oklahoma City Thunder are fighting for their playoff lives. The Houston Rockets are fighting for their playoff seeding. On Sunday, Russell Westbrook and James Harden put on a show, and the Thunder and Rockets battled in a game with playoff-like intensity.
Rockets vs. Thunder final score: 3 things we learned as James Harden led Houston to victory
James Harden scored 41 points in the Rockets’ thrilling win over the Thunder.
The Rockets led by eight at the half, thanks to an 18-0 run in the first quarter, and looked like they would coast to an easy win, stretching their lead to double digits in the fourth quarter. But Westbrook took over and the Thunder crawled back to tie the game with 3:12 to play.
Then it was Harden’s turn to take over. He scored eight points in the final three minutes and the Rockets pulled away to win, 115-112. Harden finished with 41 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
Despite poor shooting from deep in the first half, Houston's big men played well enough to put Houston in control. Dwight Howard had 22 points and eight rebounds.
Westbrook, playing without a mask for the first time since his cheek injury, did his best to keep the Thunder in the game with another triple-double (40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds). Enes Kanter tried to match the Rockets' bigs with 21 points and 17 rebounds and Anthony Morrow added 22 points.
Until their fourth-quarter run, the Thunder never got into a rhythm against a Rockets defense that forced 18 turnovers.
Here are three things we learned from the game.
1. Nothing Harden or Westbrook does is a surprise anymore
The league’s top scorers showed why on Sunday -- Harden had 41 and Westbrook put up 40. Harden was his usual sharpshooting self against the Thunder, going 6-of-9 from deep. Plus, Harden hit big shots in big moments. He hit a three with 13.7 seconds left in the first half to give the Rockets an eight-point lead and hit two threes down the stretch of the third quarter. He hit two threes in 36 seconds and a tough fade away to give the Rockets a seven-point lead to clinch the win:
Westbrook, meanwhile, played hard as usual, earning his 11th triple-double of the season, but couldn’t do enough to lead the Thunder to a win. He willed the Thunder back into the game in the fourth quarter when it looked like they were left for dead.
2. Dwight Howard still matters for the Rockets
In his fifth game back from injury, Howard was extremely effective in his 23 minutes of play. He shot 7-of-8 from the field in the first half for 14 points and ended with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Rockets, who usually shoot the ball well from three, were just 3-of-13 from deep in the first half, but Howard’s play down low kept them in the lead. The Thunder couldn’t keep him away from the hoop -- Howard scored at will in the paint. If he stays healthy, he makes the Rockets even more dangerous to face in the playoffs.
3. The playoff picture is still very muddled
A win would have put the Thunder a full game up on the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth playoff spot in the West, but instead they lead by just a half-game. The Pelicans' schedule is more difficult down the stretch, but the Thunder continue to let New Orleans stick around. The Rockets, meanwhile, are fighting for the No. 2 seed. The win put them a full game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Rockets want to stay in that spot, where they would face the Dallas Mavericks in the first round -- and stay away from the San Antonio Spurs.
The playoff picture changes daily in the West, but one thing remains true: The games are going to be fun to watch.
SB Nation presents: Russell Westbrook’s most ridiculous highlights
See More:
