Rockets beat Thunder despite Westbrook's triple-double
Send a link to a friend
[December 10, 2016]
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Houston's
Patrick Beverley has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
That includes trying to slow down the "walking triple-double,"
Russell Westbrook.
When Oklahoma City and Houston faced off Friday night, Beverley was
matched up with Westbrook in the game's final seconds. Beverley won
the battle and the war as the Rockets prevailed 102-99 at the
Chesapeake Energy Arena.
"I don't want to say what I want to say. We just tried to show
bodies and force him into a crowd," Beverley said of his defense on
Westbrook. "Make it real tough for him. We were fortunate. He's a
really, really, really good player. We were fortunate to come up
with a stop."
Houston won despite a seventh straight triple-double by Westbrook.
However, this was the first one to come in a loss. Westbrook had 27
points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, and his triple-double streak
matches Michael Jordan's seven-game run in the 1988-89 season.
James Harden shot 6 of 23 from the field on his way to 21 points, 12
assists and nine rebounds as he barely missed a triple-double. Guard
Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 17 points while Ryan
Anderson knocked in 14 points. Beverley grabbed 12 rebounds as the
Rockets improved to 16-7.

"For sure, we're up there," Harden said of his team being compared
to the Warriors and Spurs. "We still have a long way to go. We're
going to continue to grow, continue to work hard and play for each
other."
Center Steven Adams scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 10
rebounds for the Thunder, who dropped to 14.9. Victor Oladipo and
Anthony Morrow each scored 12 points.
The Rockets outrebounded the Thunder 52-46, which Oklahoma City
coach Billy Donovan said was a key to the game.
"I thought our guys competed and battled," Donovan said.
"Particularly on the defensive end of the floor. They are a hard
team to guard. I thought the difference in the game was the fact we
turned it over 17 times. And their ability to take a lot of 3s and
rebound on misses. They did a great job of doing that again."
With the Thunder trailing by five, Oladipo and Westbrook missed back
to back 3-point attempts before Andre Roberson was fouled driving to
the basket. He made one free throw and cut the lead to four with
3:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Westbrook then stole a Harden pass and was going for a dunk before
Anderson was called for a clear path foul. Westbrook nailed both
free-throw attempts and Oklahoma City kept the ball with 3:21 to go.
Westbrook missed an off-balance bank shot and Harden made the
Thunder pay with a driving layup.
However, Westbrook came back with a three-point play and Oklahoma
City trailed 96-95.
It was Harden's turn to get fouled and he hit both free throws to
put Houston up by three with 2:36 left.
Westbrook then scored, but missed a free throw that would have tied
the contest. Anderson put back a Harden missed shot and the Rockets
led by three.
[to top of second column] |

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the
Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy
Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Another pair of Westbrook free throws and a Harden turnover put
Oklahoma City in position to take the lead with 28 seconds left.
Westbrook drove to the basket and attempted a scoop layup. The ball
came out of the basket and went out of bounds off the Rockets.
With Beverley guarding him, Westbrook dribbled around the perimeter
for almost 10 seconds before launching a contested 3-pointer that
turned into an air ball. Westbrook said it was his fault he missed
the shot and not due to the defense of Beverley.
"I just missed," Westbrook said. "I missed a lot of easy shots. I
just have to get my mind right."
Trevor Ariza got the rebound and was fouled. He made both free
throws to put the Rockets up 102-99 with 5.8 on the clock.
The Thunder couldn't get the ball into Westbrook, but found an open
Morrow. However, with Harden charging at him, Morrow's shot came up
short to end the game.
"It was time to go home and get ready for Dallas tomorrow," Beverley
said. "I told everyone this win doesn't mean anything if we fall
short tomorrow. We want to try and keep the streak going. Back to
back against any team in the NBA, no matter what the record is, is
always tough."
NOTES: Russell Westbrook's exploits on the court still leave his
Oklahoma City teammates in awe. "After 10 years, 20 years from now,"
center Enes Kanter said, "I'm going to look back and be like, 'Man,
I played with that dude.' I'm going to tell my kids, maybe my
grandkids one day, 'You know what? I played with Russell
Westbrook.'" ... Houston coach Mike D'Antoni is a fan of the
attitude that guard Patrick Beverley plays with. "He knows what he
has to do to be effective and he does it," D'Antoni said. "It's
better to work with him than against him." ... Thunder coach Billy
Donovan was asked if the number of 3-pointers that NBA teams take in
a season will continue to rise. "I think so much of what is going on
now is analytically driven," Donovan said. "I think the next step is
going to be what is a good 3-point shot and what maybe is not a good
3-point shot. Highly contested 3s may not be the best shot. I think
if you have a system a style and a good shooter, analytically those
are good shots to take."
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |