Harden gets 42 in loss
Defense, fast breaks spur comeback from 26-point deficit, with Harden’s last shot off mark
James Harden had what he wanted. He had the ball and a shot for the win. He had the switch, with Russell Westbrook picking him up as time wound down to a last chance.
Harden had drained a stepback 3 over Westbrook minutes earlier. He had beaten him off the dribble for the lead seconds before. Westbrook had answered, finishing a drive for the lead with his only bucket of the fourth quarter.
The Rockets, however, had their chance. Harden had Westbrook on him and the look he said he wanted, going up for a 3 with four seconds left. When he missed, the Thunder held on for a 117-112 win Saturday night, capping a comeback from a 26-point Rockets lead in the first half.
The Rockets did have one more chance. After a pair of Paul George free throws gave Oklahoma City a three-point lead with 3.4 seconds left, Gerald Green checked in and dashed to the corner. But Thunder center Steven Adams got a piece of Iman Shumpert’s inbounds pass, with Green losing it out of bounds before he could get control and attempt a corner 3 for overtime.
The Rockets, however, did not lament that lost opportunity or the final shot they took and missed as much as the third quarter when all that they had done in a splendid first half came apart.
“We did a pretty good job, other than that third quarter,” Harden said. “Third quarter offensive, defensively, we just couldn’t get anything right. We allowed too many points in transition. Some of their role players like Dennis Schroder and (Terrance) Ferguson hit some big shots. Pretty good game for us — except for the third quarter. We have to be consistent for four quarters. It’s pretty simple.”
Harden did seem to struggle with his left shoulder at times in the game and had extra treatment afterward. But when asked if that affected his play or decision-making, he would not blame any soreness along the way.
“I just caught up with Adams,” Harden said. “He's a pretty strong guy. I'll be all right. I'm not going to make excuses. They played well. They made big-time shots. We didn’t have a great third quarter. That’s the story of the game.”
The Rockets struggled to get the stops that came so regularly in the first half, with the Thunder seeming to feed off every forced turnover or missed shot to get in the open floor. The Rockets went from scoring 42 points in the second quarter to giving up 42 – and the lead – in the third.
The Rockets had made 44.4 percent of their 3-pointers in the first half. They were 1-of-9 in the third quarter. They had just two turnovers in the first half. They had six in the third quarter. And even when the Thunder missed while making 15 of 21 shots in the quarter, they scored eight second-chance points to keep scoring, anyway.
“Man, our defense. We couldn’t get stops,” guard Chris Paul said. “They were getting everything. Layups. What did we give up, 42 points in the third? A lot of it was we couldn’t set our defense. We know how good they are in transition. We got to look at the film and we got to be better, especially starting the second half. That was sort of our Achilles heel last year and it seems to be an issue so far this season.”
When George knocked down a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, the Thunder went in front and would lead by as much as six.
The Rockets recovered. Paul, who had 18 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists, sank a 3-pointer and set up Harden for a rare catch-and-shoot 3. Kenneth Faried scored inside and hit three free throws.
The Rockets rushed through an 11-0 run to the lead. Though the Thunder rallied, Harden sank a floater in the lane with 31.8 seconds remaining to put the Rockets in front.
Westbrook, who had missed all six of his shots in the fourth quarter, got loose, splitting the Rockets’ defense on a screen to put in a layup for the lead five seconds after Harden’s bucket.
But the Rockets had the ball, plenty of time and the league’s top scorer. With a screen, George was no longer on Harden. Harden ran the shot clock down and put up the shot that has driven so much of his monthlong scoring burst and 29-game run scoring at least 30.
He took his step-back 3 and missed.
George, the first player to outscore Harden on a night the Rockets star scores at least 40 points, put in four free throws to finish off the Thunder win, with Harden coming up one 3-pointer short.
“It was a pretty good matchup,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It was pretty much fun — until they beat us.”