The Dynamic Duo!

It was the first loss for the Thunder, who won their first three games while the Rockets dropped their first three.Harden was 12 of 26 from the field after a tough start to the season. He shot below 30 percent in each of the first three games."I'm sure all great shooters go through droughts, he said. "Mine was pretty terrible, I admit. But it will change. It will all come around. It's a long season and I'll go on five, six, 10-game streaks where I'm just on fire and it will even itself out."An 8-1 run by the Rockets made it 107-100 with about two minutes left. Harden capped that key stretch with a 3, knocking it down with Russell Westbrook right in his face.Westbrook made a 3-pointer with 44 seconds left to make it 108-105, and Harden missed a 3 on the other end. But Westbrook and Kevin Durant both missed 3-pointers on the next possession and Dwight Howard made a pair of free throws with 5.7 seconds left to secure the victory.


Durant led the Thunder with 29 points, and Westbrook added 25 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists."They'd lost three in a row and they should be desperate," Westbrook said. "We let them off the hook." Harden scored five straight points to put the Rockets on top 97-93 midway through the fourth, but consecutive baskets by Durant and Westbrook tied it back up less than a minute later.
The teams exchanged the lead several times early in the fourth quarter, once when a 3-pointer by Patrick Beverley gave Houston a 90-89 advantage with less than nine minutes remaining. He beat his chest and yelled something to Westbrook after the score.


Westbrook's layup put Oklahoma City up 93-92, and the jawing continued, earning both players a technical foul.A free throw by D. J Augustin extended Oklahoma City's lead to four late in the third quarter. But the Rockets scored the last seven points of the period to take their first lead since the first quarter. Augustin, also had to come in for Russell in the third quarter because Westbrook had then gained 4 fouls and the coach was not willing to risk it. Overall, it was a tremendous effort from both teams.