James Harden scored 40 points, 21 for 22 at the line, and the Houston Rockets rallied from 15 points down in the first quarter to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-112.
The Rockets trailed 35-20 with 32 seconds left in the first quarter and 62-52 at halftime. They outscored the Thunder 96-77 the rest of the way.
During clutch time, the Rockets outscored the Thunder 16-8. Harden (No. 10 in clutch points, 2019-20) scored 6 of the Rockets’ 16 on 0 for 2 shooting and 6 for 6 at the line.
Russell Westbrook had 21 points (16 in the paint), 12 rebounds and 9 assists.
For the Thunder, Dennis Schröder had 22 points (12 in the second quarter) and 7 assists off the bench, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 points and 9 rebounds. Nerlens Noel scored 15 points off the bench.
The Rockets went 28 for 33 at the line to the Thunder’s 17 for 24. The Thunder outscored the Rockets 52-14 off the bench. The Rockets’ starters outscored the Thunder 31-18 in 11 minutes together.