Thunder bench thrives in blowout of Rockets

[February 04, 2021]  Kenrich Williams scored a season-high 19 points off the bench to help the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-87 home win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

The Rockets had their six-game winning streak snapped while the Thunder won at home for just the second time this season.

In their meeting two days earlier, the Rockets scored 48 first-quarter points en route to a season-high 136 points in a 30-point win over the Thunder.

Wednesday, Houston didn't reach 48 points until Eric Gordon's 3-pointer more than three minutes into the third quarter.

Houston was coming off a game where it hit a franchise-record 28 3-pointers.

Wednesday, the Rockets were just 12 of 46 (26.1 percent) from behind the arc, missing 12 consecutive 3-point tries in the first half.

Houston's scoring total and 3-point shooting percentages were both season lows. The Rockets' 38.4 percent shooting from the floor was their second-worst of the season.

In Wednesday's game, the Thunder grabbed the lead late in the first quarter and steadily stretched it until leading by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter.

The Thunder were without a pair of starters, including leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and lost a third in the first half.

Gilgeous-Alexander suffered a left knee sprain in Monday's loss, though he returned after the injury.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Isaiah Roby (22) dribbles the ball down the court against Houston Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate (8) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

George Hill will miss at least the next four weeks after undergoing surgery on his right thumb.

Luguentz Dort left in the first quarter and didn't return due to left knee soreness.

The Thunder leaned heavily on its bench, outsourcing Houston's reserves 47-32.

Williams was 7-for-8 from the floor, making all three of his 3-point tries.

Darius Bazley added 18, Al Horford 17 and Hamidou Diallo 16 for Oklahoma City.

Gordon led the Rockets in scoring for the second consecutive game, scoring 22.

Victor Oladipo added 19 points for the Rockets but was just 8 of 24 from the floor, making just 1 of 8 from behind the 3-point line.

John Wall was out for the Rockets, who were playing the first half of a back-to-back.

--Field Level Media
 

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