Hitting on a corner 3-pointer, Aaron Holiday put the final nail in the coffin for OKC’s comeback hopes, extending Houston’s lead to a game-high 17 points with a little under eight minutes left.
The Oklahoma City Thunder played catch-up for most of the night and fell to the Houston Rockets, 110-101.
“Credit them, they outplayed us on both ends of the floor,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on the loss. “I just thought we were a step slow on offense with our attacks. Had a hard time generating rhythm tonight on that end of the floor.”
The first quarter previewed the off night: The Thunder trailed the Rockets, 32-22, after 12 minutes. A late second-quarter run helped cut the deficit to five points entering halftime.
Though they entered the fourth quarter trailing by six, the Thunder’s chances of a comeback evaporated with the Rockets’ 17-6 run, fueled by five 3-pointers, to start the final frame.
The Thunder lost this game from outside. They shot an ugly 8-of-29 (27.6%) from 3. Meanwhile, the Rockets were a sizzling 15-of-33 (45.5%) from deep. Just that area of the game produced a 21-point difference.
Overall, OKC looked sluggish against one of the best defensive teams in the league. It shot 43% from the field.
“We were just a little stagnant,” Aaron Wiggins said on the offense. “Both with the ball at times and individually being in our spots. We got to be able to willing to move to create opportunities for other off-ball.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for the Thunder with 33 points on 18 shots. The other four Thunder starters combined for 29 points on 10-of-38 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Rockets had a well-balanced scoring attack. Five players scored in double digits. Houston dished 28 assists on 40 buckets. Houston also dominated the boards, 53-30. Jabari Smith Jr. led the way with a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with his six points.
Alperen Sengun had 21 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Dillon Brooks scored 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Holiday scored a season-high 22 points and went 6-of-7 from 3 off the bench.
Though it was a nine-point loss, the Thunder never seemed in a groove against the Rockets. OKC managed to cut it to one point in the third quarter, but Houston always answered with runs to keep a healthy distance on the scoreboard.
“We had them in striking distance. It never quite felt like we had control of the game,” Daigneault said. “They were outplaying us and it felt like that … They did a good job at holding us off.”
Let’s look at Thunder player grades.