NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from the Houston Rockets' Christmas Night win over the Oklahoma City Thunder
After a convincing win over the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder for a Christmas Night contest. The Thunder entered this game as one of the best defensive teams in the league but the Rockets had the home court advantage.
The Thunder walked into the halftime tunnel with an eight-point lead. However, Harden's exploits in the third quarter helped the Rockets cut the deficit to only two points after three quarters.
Austin Rivers, who made his Rockets debut against the Thunder, made two big three-point shots late in the fourth quarter to help the Rockets extend their lead. The Rockets-Thunder regular-season series is now tied at 1-1. Let us take a look at three of the talking points from the Rockets' win over the Thunder.
#3 Russell Westbrook struggles from the field
Stat line: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and a block on 30 % shooting
After an impressive triple-double performance in the loss against the Timberwolves, Russell Westbrook struggled to get it going from the field as the Thunder lose this close contest. Russ also struggled from the free-throw line as he shot just 7-for-10 from the charity stripe.
Westbrook, who is averaging triple-double for the third straight year, was an assist and a rebound shy of getting one in Houston. He finished the night with 21 points on a poor 6-for-20 shooting, including 2-for-6 from behind the arc.
In this game, Westbrook also passed Scottie Pippen for most steals on Christmas Day. Last time the two teams met was in November when Russ did not play due to sprained left ankle but the Thunder picked up the win.