James Harden is doing his best to keep his Houston Rockets above water after their slow start, and Christmas Day helped them in that process. Harden put up 41 points on Tuesday afternoon to lift his Rockets to an upset win over the red hot Oklahoma City Thunder, 113-109, at the Toyota Center. Harden shot 15-of-35 from the floor, as the Rockets improved to 11-5 on their home floor to get three games over .500. It is now the seventh consecutive game that Harden has scored at least 30 points, which is a career high, as their record is at a season best after this win.
Harden's streak of consecutive 30-point games is the longest such streak since Russell Westbrook did it in eight in a row in November of 2016. Harden has scored at least 35 in his past five games, helping the Rockets overcome a three-game losing streak from the beginning of the month, which had them at 11-14 on the year.
The Thunder did not go away quietly, as a three-pointer and free throws down the stretch by Paul George kept things close in the final minutes. Austin Rivers, who was just picked up after getting waived by the Phoenix Suns in the Trevor Ariza trade, hit the game-sealing free throws for Houston.
The Thunder have skyrocketed to the three seed in the Western Conference with their recent streak, but fell to 9-8 away from OKC. George once again led the way with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Westbrook finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Although, they could not overcome Harden, who became the first player to score 40 or more points on Christmas Day since Kevin Durant did it for the Thunder in 2010.
The Rockets got the win despite playing without Chris Paul for a second straight game, and they will hope to have him back when they host the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Thunder will visit the Suns on Friday night.
Harden's streak of consecutive 30-point games is the longest such streak since Russell Westbrook did it in eight in a row in November of 2016. Harden has scored at least 35 in his past five games, helping the Rockets overcome a three-game losing streak from the beginning of the month, which had them at 11-14 on the year.
The Thunder did not go away quietly, as a three-pointer and free throws down the stretch by Paul George kept things close in the final minutes. Austin Rivers, who was just picked up after getting waived by the Phoenix Suns in the Trevor Ariza trade, hit the game-sealing free throws for Houston.
The Thunder have skyrocketed to the three seed in the Western Conference with their recent streak, but fell to 9-8 away from OKC. George once again led the way with 28 points and 14 rebounds, while Westbrook finished with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. Although, they could not overcome Harden, who became the first player to score 40 or more points on Christmas Day since Kevin Durant did it for the Thunder in 2010.
The Rockets got the win despite playing without Chris Paul for a second straight game, and they will hope to have him back when they host the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Thunder will visit the Suns on Friday night.
