Harden hits for 40 as Rockets top Thunder

James Harden scored a game-high 40 points while Russell Westbrook finished an assist shy of his second consecutive triple-double, but it was the two-way prowess of PJ Tucker that led the Houston Rockets to a 116-112 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Tucker had 17 points and nine rebounds, and he regularly assumed the challenge of defending opponents big and small.

His corner 3-pointer with 54.8 seconds left provided the Rockets the six-point cushion they needed to survive late treys from Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Harden sealed the victory via his precision at the free-throw line, going 6-for-6 in the last two minutes. Westbrook finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists while Harden added seven assists. Harden made 21 of 22 foul shots. Tucker was 5 of 7 on 3-point attempts. Clint Capela contributed 15 points for Houston.

Dennis Schroder and Gilgeous-Alexander scored 22 apiece for the Thunder while Gallinari added 17. Paul posted 15 points in his return to Houston, and Nerlens Noel also scored 15. Houston erased a 10-point halftime deficit by picking up the pace in the third quarter, frequently attacking early in the shot clock to favorable results. A 12-0 run gave the Rockets a 69-66 lead, with that rally capped by a Harden to Westbrook baseline alley-oop. The Rockets shot 5 of 9 from 3-point range in the period, and throughout the period, the Thunder struggled to maintain the tempo.

By outscoring Oklahoma City 39-18 in the third, the Rockets took a 91-80 edge into the fourth. The Thunder flashed ample energy early even though they were playing on the second night of a back-to-back, racing to a 15-point lead by converting both in transition.

The Rockets were sluggish defensively, and it wasn't until the second quarter that they found some juice. Still, despite the inroads made by Harden and Capela offensively, the Rockets had no answer for Schroder on defense, as Schroder posted 18 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting. Houston shot just 4 of 25 on 3-point attempts prior to the break and trailed 62-52 at halftime. However, the Rockets did race to 10 fastbreak points, setting a tone for their aggression in the third period.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)