Rockets collapse late as Harden ties record for 3-point futility

James Harden’s slump reached historic levels with 16 missed treys, and the Rockets blew a late 15-point lead in their fourth straight loss.

The Houston Rockets blew a 15-point lead at home with under seven minutes remaining in a 112-107 loss (box score) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, representing their fourth straight loss and fifth in six games.

James Harden scored 29 points but tied his own record for the most missed 3-pointers in an NBA game, going 1-of-17 (5.9%) from deep.

Russell Westbrook was brilliant with 32 points (67% shooting), 12 assists, and 11 rebounds. It was Westbrook’s first triple-double against the Thunder, who traded him to Houston last July.

In doing so, Westbrook — who has the second-most triple-doubles in NBA history — became just the second player in the league’s history to record a triple-double against all 30 franchises.

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But like so many other games during this recent funk, Westbrook didn’t have enough help for the Rockets (26-16) to win. Led by Harden’s futility, the Rockets made just 9-of-45 shots (20%) from 3-point range, which snapped an NBA-record streak of 97 games with 10 or more 3-pointers.

Even with the cold shooting, it took an unfathomable collapse for the Rockets to lose this one, all at home against an undermanned opponent.

The Thunder (24-19) were without three rotation players in Steven Adams (injured two minutes into the game), backup center Nerlens Noel, and guard Terrance Ferguson, who was Oklahoma City’s best Harden defender when the Thunder beat the Rockets 11 days ago.

But the Rockets still managed to allow 27 points in the final 6:41 of the fourth quarter, as the Thunder closed the game on a stunning 27-7 run.

It was a meltdown for Houston on both ends of the floor, with the Thunder going ahead for good with just over a minute left after a Harden turnover led to an uncontested transition dunk.

Though the Rockets hailed themselves as a title contender before the season, they’re now just a game ahead of the Thunder in the win column — even though Oklahoma City appeared intent on rebuilding after trading Westbrook to Houston for Chris Paul and draft considerations.

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At the moment, the Thunder have beaten the Rockets two out of three times this season, and they also have two Houston first-round draft picks and two pick swap rights over a four-year span from 2023 through 2026.

Paul led the Thunder in scoring in Monday’s shocking comeback with 28 points, while Dennis Schroder had 23 off the bench and put the Rockets away with multiple buckets down the stretch. Danilo Gallinari also played big with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

After the game, the Rockets appeared as frustrated as they’ve been all season, though head coach Mike D’Antoni wouldn’t go as far as to question Harden’s shot selection. For his part, Harden made a very unusual move to stay on the Toyota Center court postgame to try and shoot his way out of his slump.

Entering Monday, Harden had shot just 33.6% from the field and 27.0% on 3-pointers over his last six games, and he was worse than both of those figures against the Thunder. The Rockets are 2-5 during Harden’s downturn, and the two wins were over lowly Atlanta (10-34) and Minnesota (15-27) without Karl-Anthony Towns.

Reserve forward Danuel House Jr., who had his best game in weeks with 13 points (3-of-7 on 3-pointers), six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals, referred to the team’s current state as a “dark cloud.”

The Rockets are now No. 6 in the Western Conference standings, and they need to turn things around quickly, with third-seeded Denver (29-13) coming to Houston on Wednesday to wrap up the four-game homestand.

Somehow, the Rockets — who are now closer in the standings to the No. 7  Thunder (two games) than they are to the No. 3 Nuggets (three games) — need a victory Wednesday to avoid being swept in their longest homestand of the entire 2019-20 season.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.

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