Rockets 69 - 65 Thunder
Final
  for this game

Harden lifts Rockets past Thunder

Nov 17, 2014 - 6:03 AM

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Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden's had better days in Oklahoma City, but he still came up with the big shot when the Houston Rockets needed it.

Harden's go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:19 left lifted the Rockets to a 69-65 victory over the Thunder in a game where neither team shot better than 30 percent from the field.

With the shot clock running down and the game tied at 65-65, Harden rose up from the top of the arc and nailed a triple to put Houston in front.

After Reggie Jackson couldn't get his layup to drop and Jeremy Lamb couldn't connect from distance, Harden dribbled in traffic and lost the ball at the other end. The ball went out of bounds off Thunder center Steven Adams, however, following a brief scuffle.

Harden's straightaway trey didn't drop this time, but Jackson's long triple over Dwight Howard hit off the back of the rim and Harden split a pair of foul shots with 4.7 seconds left to seal the outcome.

Houston shot just 28.8 percent (23-of-80) from the floor, while Oklahoma City finished at 29.4 percent (20-of-68).

"That game will not go in the NBA Hall of Fame," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

Harden, who has scored 67 points in his last two meetings against his former team, had 19 points on 5-of-17 shooting. He also added nine rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who have won three straight since their lone loss to Golden State on Nov. 8.

Jackson posted 15 points, 11 boards and four assists for Oklahoma City, which has dropped six of its last eight games.

"That was a very physical game," OKC coach Scott Brooks said. "I don't like the outcome, but I'm proud of the effort."

The Rockets raced out to an 11-4 start and led 24-19 following a quarter of play and Patrick Beverley's layup at the first-half buzzer staked them to a 42-33 advantage heading into the break.

Lance Thomas, Serge Ibaka and Jackson each netted four points during a 12-2 OKC run late in the third, with a Thomas jumper capping it and give the hosts a 51-49 edge.

The game was tied at 51-51 heading into the fourth.

Game Notes

Houston was coming off a season-low 37.2 percent shooting performance against the 76ers ... Harden was 7-of-8 from the foul line ... OKC was 3-of-19 from beyond the arc, while Houston finished 7-of-35 from 3-point range.






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