A fight to the finish! Thunder battles back but falls to Rockets. pic.twitter.com/e3ykdVCTbY
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) December 10, 2016
The six game win streak comes to a halt as James Harden and the Houston Rockets squeaked out a 102-99 win over Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Although the vistors shot a poor 9-28 from the field in the first quarter, OKC found themselves unable to capitalize due to a plethora of turnovers. Regardless, one thing remains constanst…OKC fans despise the Rockets.
The Struggle
Looking at the box score, it becomes very apparent that Harden failed to find a shot. Shooting 26.1% from the floor, the rebounders bailed the MVP contender out on a cold night in OKC. Pulling down 16 offensive rebounds while holding a +6 rebound margin on the night, no one managed to put a body on Patrick Beverley.
Against one of the leagues tops shooting teams, the Thunder must refuse to give up second chance points. Yet, the seventh ranked defense of OKC simply could not impose their will.
Russell Westbrook Collects 7th Consecutive Triple-Double & 12th of the Season
There’s no denying that Russell Westbrook is in the driver’s seat when it comes to the NBA MVP conversation early in the season. Pouring in 27 points to go along side 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the point guard collected his 7th consecutive triple-double. The last time that happened, Michael Jordan was playing for the Bulls in 1989.
Russell Westbrook responded to a question about his triple-double streak with no words and a look. pic.twitter.com/CTHFmOqFIY
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 10, 2016
Now, the media will continue to talk until the streak is broken or Wilt Chamberlain’s record of nine consecutive triple-doubles falls.
Steven Adams Quietly Posts Incredible Numbers
While all the talk continues to center around others, Steven Adams put together an impressive stat line. While many fans question where the help will come from, the center posted 24 points over the course of 24 points. Knocking down shot after shot, the big man connected on 8-of-9 attempts from the floor as well as 8-of-9 attempts from the free throw line. On the night Adams recorded a double-double with 10 boards. The real question is can this be a consistent statline from the big?
Up Next
The OKC Thunder will host the Boston Celtics on Sunday evening. Tipping off at 6:00pm CST in the Peake and televised on FS Oklahoma, the franchise looks to put the loss behind them and move forward before heading out on the road.