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James Harden, Rockets sneak past Thunder, 69-65

The Oklahoma City Thunder struggled to make buckets, finishing 20-68 (29.4%), including 3-19 (15.8%) from three-point range, as they were nipped by Houston Rockets, 69-65. Houston (9-1) is now on a three-game winning streak.

James Harden put up 19 points on 5-17 shooting from the field (2-9 from behind the arc) and 7-8 from the free throw line. Other key performers for Houston were Dwight Howard with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Patrick Beverley with 12 points and eight rebounds. On 4-11 shooting from the field and 7-8 from the free throw line, Lance Thomas scored 15 points for Oklahoma City in the loss. Serge Ibaka added 10 points and six rebounds.

As expected, the Thunder offense did not have its best game, struggling to score against the stingy Rockets defense that ranks first in the league with a defensive efficiency of 92.1. They registered just .758 points per possession in this game, and rank 28th in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 95.7 on the season. The Thunder posted an eFG% of just 31.6%, including 15.8% from 3-point range. This year, they are winless (0-2) when they record marks below 45% and 30% in those respective categories. On the other hand, the Rockets are undefeated (3-0) when holding their opponents to such low percentages.

Coming up next, the Rockets square off against the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 9-1 on the year. The Thunder match up with the Utah Jazz, currently 4-7 this season.