Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder Game Player Stats and Box Scores for February 27, 2024
The Houston Rockets and OKC Thunder continued their home-and-away series on Tuesday. Houston, which lost 123-100 on Sunday, hoped to get some measure of revenge against their highly-touted opponents. The Rockets were looking to show they’ve learned their lessons in the said loss to Oklahoma in the rematch.
The in-form Thunder were raring to make it two wins in three nights against the Rockets. OKC was also looking to grab a 2-1 series edge before its fourth and final encounter with Houston on Mar. 27. Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams led the Thunder’s bid for another victory.
Like in the previous encounter, the Houston Rockets played superb basketball and went toe-to-toe with the Thunder early on. Behind Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet, Houston kept in step with the host team.
Oklahoma’s Big Three of Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams and Holmgren roared to another impressive half. They were the main reasons why the Thunder steadily began to pull away a bit starting in the second quarter. The trio combined to score 42 of OKC's first half points to lead 60-50 heading into the halftime break.
The start of the second half showed both teams putting an emphasis on defense. It was a struggled, that coupled with a errors from both sides, made the third quarter a low-scoring battle.
The defensive struggle, together with some missed open shots, made it a 24-24 tie in the said period. The OKC Thunder benefited from it as they maintained their 10-point lead over the Houston Rockers heading into the fourth quarter.
The final period was when Shai Gilegous-Alexander and Jalen Williams poured it on offense. Chet Holmgren contributed on that end but it was his defensive presence that stood out. He blocked three shots but altered several more that didn't show up on the box score.
Alperen Sengun had another impressive all-around game but could not lead the Houston Rockets to the win. The Turkish star had 23 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. Even matched up against Holmgren, he more than held his own.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Jalen Green combined for 34 points, 19 rebounds and five assists. It wasn't enough to prevent the OKC Thunder from pulling away in the final period.
Oklahoma's 112-95 win improved its record to 41-17 while Houston's loss dropped its win-loss slate to 25-33.
Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder game player stats and box scores
Houston Rockets game player stats
OKC Thunder game player stats