A night after a 9-of-34 (26.5%) shooting performance against the Hawks, Houston Rockets star James Harden followed it up with his lowest-scoring game of the season with 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting (29.4%).
Against Atlanta (8-30), the Rockets had enough to overcome Harden’s off night and win, anyway. When playing former teammate Chris Paul and the surging Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, they did not.
It all led to a 113-92 victory (box score) by the Thunder (22-16) in Oklahoma City, spoiling Russell Westbrook‘s emotional return. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Rockets (25-12), and it was Houston’s lowest-scoring game of the 2019-20 season to date.
Harden still leads the NBA with a historic scoring pace of more than 38 points per game, and he remains one of this season’s MVP frontrunners. But the Rockets didn’t have nearly enough on the road Thursday against a probable playoff team to overcome his struggles.
FINAL: Thunder 113, Rockets 92. Just an awful performance as Rockets looked lifeless on both ends of the floor. Westbrook (34p on 14-26 FG) looked alone, deserved more effort from his teammates in his OKC homecoming.
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) January 10, 2020
Westbrook played well in his first visit to Oklahoma City as an opposing player after spending the first 11 seasons of his storied NBA career with the Thunder. The future Hall of Famer and 2017 MVP was greeted with an extended standing ovation and a touching tribute video in pregame introductions, which the eight-time All-Star clearly appreciated.
Fan love for @russwest44 pic.twitter.com/UB1m1AkFEm
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 10, 2020
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From that point forward, Westbrook was largely successful on the court with 34 points on 14-of-26 shooting (52.8%). But he didn’t have nearly enough help, especially on Harden’s lowest-scoring night of the season.
Westbrook was sitting at the end of the bench by himself and appeared visibly upset during a timeout. pic.twitter.com/6j2z9d4jyX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2020
Between Harden’s slump, the injury absence of Eric Gordon, and a cold night from the supporting cast (Houston shot 11-40 on 3-pointers, or 28.2%, on 3-pointers as a team), the Rockets weren’t able to get it done on the second night of a road back-to-back. The Thunder were more energetic from the outset, and it led to their 11th win in 13 games.
Of Houston’s 11 makes from 3-point range, four came late in the fourth quarter by young prospects Chris Clemons and Michael Frazier after the game had long been decided.
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The Thunder, who led by 16 points after an emotionally charged first quarter and cruised throughout, were paced by forward Danilo Gallinari with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Paul had 18 points (50% shooting), six rebounds, five assists, and four steals against his former team.
The Rockets have Friday off before returning to action Saturday with an easier matchup (at least on paper) versus the Minnesota Timberwolves (15-22). Tip-off is at 4 p.m. Central from Toyota Center, with the Rockets having won the last 12 meetings between the teams in Houston.