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Thunder host Rockets in OKC

Jan 6, 2012 - 3:44 PM (Sports Network) - This was the year that the Thunder were supposed to turn from a talented young team into a legitimate NBA title contender but after a brilliant 5-0 start, things have tempered a bit in OKC after two consecutive setbacks.

Oklahoma City will try to stop its modest skid when they host the front end of a home-and-home set with the Houston Rockets on Friday.

Tonight's contest is first of a brutal stretch in which the Thunder will play three games in three nights, traveling to Houston on Saturday before hosting San Antonio on Sunday.

After suffering their first loss of the season in Dallas this past Monday, the Thunder fell on their home floor for the first time 24 hours later, dropping a 103-93 decision to Portland.

James Harden started for an under-the-weather Thabo Sefolosha and led Oklahoma City in that one with 23 points, but Kevin Durant shot just 8-for-26 and scored 19 points. Russell Westbrook scored 22 with eight assists.

Durant was 3-for-13 in the second half after being named Western Conference Player of the Week earlier Tuesday.

"I just have to stay positive, I know it was a tough game for me," said Durant. "Some of those shots looked good coming out of my hand, but they didn't fall. I'm a scorer, I can't get too down on myself because the baskets will come."

Durant, perhaps the best pure scorer in basketball, scored 30-plus points in each of OKC's first four games but hasn't hit the mark since, netting just 19.3 over the past three contests.

The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a pair of unproductive days in Los Angeles. One day after losing to the Lakers by nine points at Staples Center Houston was routed by the Clippers, 117-89, in the same building.

Kyle Lowry scored 17 points and dished out five assists against the Clips for the Rockets, who have lost three of their last four. Kevin Martin added 14 points while Luis Scola had 12 points and Chandler Parsons contributed 11 off the bench.

Houston's performance was bookended by a pair of awful quarters. The team allowed the Clips to score 41 points in the first quarter -- the most allowed by any team in one period this season -- and netted just 14 points in the final frame, it's worst offensive quarter of the season..

"We didn't play hard, we had a bad effort, didn't from the start. We have to guard and play, we didn't come out and execute, they put it on us," Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said.

Oklahoma City won three of four games vs. the Rockets last season, including both games in Chesapeake Energy Arena.