Rockets Put an End to Warriors' Road Win Streak
The Houston Rockets were glad to have James Harden back for their showdown with the team that took over the top spot in the Western Conference from them .The bearded star paid off, as Harden hit a big three down the stretch to help the Rockets snap the Golden State Warriors' 14-game road win streak with a 116-108 win at home. Chris Paul led the Rockets with 33 points and 11 assists, as Houston improved to 2-1 this season against the defending champs. Steph Curry struggled down the stretch and admitted it, pointing to two plays that he missed Kevin Durant for a wide open dunk and a wide open three-pointer, both of which were pivotal possessions down the stretch. For the Rockets, Harden finished the night with 22 points in his second game back after missing seven games due to a hamstring injury. The Rockets are now 2-0, both against playoff teams, since the MVP candidate returned to the floor. Durant had 26 points to lead Golden State, who last lost away from home on November 22nd. Curry had 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting, as it was the first time that Paul outscored Curry by double-digits in their previous 12 regular season matchups. The Rockets stay home to host the impressive Miami Heat on Monday night, while the Warriors will return home to host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Thunder Put Up 148 Points, Earn Blowout Win in Cleveland
The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled on the defensive side of the ball all season, and we've known that due to them ranking in the bottom five in every defensive category. Those defensive issues went to another level on Saturday afternoon as the Oklahoma City Thunder went off for a 148-124 blowout win in Cleveland. Paul George led that barrage with 36 points, while Carmelo Anthony added 29 and Russell Westbrook 23 points and 20 assists, as the big three combined for a season-high in points. The 148 points is tied for the most points given up by Cleveland in franchise history, as they also gave up that much to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972. The loss for the Cavs is their 10th in the past 14 games, coming off a close win over the Orlando Magic that snapped a four-game losing streak, but also saw the team surrender a 23-point lead. LeBron James had 18 points in the frustrating loss, as he remains seven points shy of becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. On the OKC side, Steven Adams scored 25 points, contributing to the Thunder's 121 points that they received from their starting five. The Thunder shot 58 percent as a team and will play host to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers will go to San Antonio to battle the Spurs, which will also take place on Tuesday night.
Young Scores 48, Oklahoma Falls in Overtime
This college basketball season will most likely break a record for the amount of top-10 upsets in one season, as Saturday's slate of games featured three more. That included a thrilling in-state rival matchup, as Trae Young's 48 points was not enough in an 83-81 overtime loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Young missed three-pointers at the buzzer to end regulation and overtime, as he could not come up with the heroics to lift his team. The young star shot 14-of-39 from the floor, including 8-for-20 from three-point range, and scored 34 of his points in the first half, while being involved in 80 percent of his team's offense in the loss. Jeffrey Carroll had 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Kendall Smith added 20 points in the Cowboys' third conference win of the season. The win for Oklahoma State also helped them avenge a 109-89 loss to the Sooners back on January 3rd. Oklahoma has now dropped two in a row after falling to Kansas State earlier in the week. They will definitely fall in the rankings before they play host to the 10th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday night. The Cowboys will be on the road Tuesday against eighth-ranked Texas Tech, who will also drop in the rankings after falling to Iowa State on Saturday.
The Houston Rockets were glad to have James Harden back for their showdown with the team that took over the top spot in the Western Conference from them .The bearded star paid off, as Harden hit a big three down the stretch to help the Rockets snap the Golden State Warriors' 14-game road win streak with a 116-108 win at home. Chris Paul led the Rockets with 33 points and 11 assists, as Houston improved to 2-1 this season against the defending champs. Steph Curry struggled down the stretch and admitted it, pointing to two plays that he missed Kevin Durant for a wide open dunk and a wide open three-pointer, both of which were pivotal possessions down the stretch. For the Rockets, Harden finished the night with 22 points in his second game back after missing seven games due to a hamstring injury. The Rockets are now 2-0, both against playoff teams, since the MVP candidate returned to the floor. Durant had 26 points to lead Golden State, who last lost away from home on November 22nd. Curry had 19 points on 6-of-20 shooting, as it was the first time that Paul outscored Curry by double-digits in their previous 12 regular season matchups. The Rockets stay home to host the impressive Miami Heat on Monday night, while the Warriors will return home to host the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Thunder Put Up 148 Points, Earn Blowout Win in Cleveland
The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled on the defensive side of the ball all season, and we've known that due to them ranking in the bottom five in every defensive category. Those defensive issues went to another level on Saturday afternoon as the Oklahoma City Thunder went off for a 148-124 blowout win in Cleveland. Paul George led that barrage with 36 points, while Carmelo Anthony added 29 and Russell Westbrook 23 points and 20 assists, as the big three combined for a season-high in points. The 148 points is tied for the most points given up by Cleveland in franchise history, as they also gave up that much to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972. The loss for the Cavs is their 10th in the past 14 games, coming off a close win over the Orlando Magic that snapped a four-game losing streak, but also saw the team surrender a 23-point lead. LeBron James had 18 points in the frustrating loss, as he remains seven points shy of becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points. On the OKC side, Steven Adams scored 25 points, contributing to the Thunder's 121 points that they received from their starting five. The Thunder shot 58 percent as a team and will play host to the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers will go to San Antonio to battle the Spurs, which will also take place on Tuesday night.
Young Scores 48, Oklahoma Falls in Overtime
This college basketball season will most likely break a record for the amount of top-10 upsets in one season, as Saturday's slate of games featured three more. That included a thrilling in-state rival matchup, as Trae Young's 48 points was not enough in an 83-81 overtime loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Young missed three-pointers at the buzzer to end regulation and overtime, as he could not come up with the heroics to lift his team. The young star shot 14-of-39 from the floor, including 8-for-20 from three-point range, and scored 34 of his points in the first half, while being involved in 80 percent of his team's offense in the loss. Jeffrey Carroll had 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Kendall Smith added 20 points in the Cowboys' third conference win of the season. The win for Oklahoma State also helped them avenge a 109-89 loss to the Sooners back on January 3rd. Oklahoma has now dropped two in a row after falling to Kansas State earlier in the week. They will definitely fall in the rankings before they play host to the 10th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday night. The Cowboys will be on the road Tuesday against eighth-ranked Texas Tech, who will also drop in the rankings after falling to Iowa State on Saturday.
