Russell Westbrook triple-doubles but Thunder loses to James Harden’s Rockets

Russell Westbrook had another triple-double but the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Houston Rockets and James Harden on Sunday. Westbrook dropped 39 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists for his 36th triple-double of the season but Harden’s squad got the easy 137-125 blowout victory.

Harden, who finished with a double-double of 22 points and 12 assists, had great help from the other Rockets, including Lou Williams, who fired 31 points off the bench. It wasn’t just Harden and Williams contributing in the high-scoring affair as four other players from Houston scored in double figures.

Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza scored 24 points each. Reserve centre Nene Hilario added 17 points and 2 steals while Clint Capela had 11 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.

The Thunder’s defence was lacking in Sunday’s match-up as the team allowed the Rockets to shoot 63.3 percent from the field. Houston also shot 51.3 percent from the three-point area. Williams shot 7-of-8 from the three.

Westbrook rued his team’s lack of defensive effort. The Rockets scored 34 or more points in the first three quarters.

"They hit a lot of shots, man. They got hot and especially with a team like that, they get hot and it can be trouble." Westbrook said postgame via ESPN.

The Rockets had a big halftime lead, 79-59 and it continued its good showing on offence after the break. Before the fourth quarter, it extended the lead to 113-88 and it cruised to the win. Houston won its fourth straight and seven of the its last eight games.

The Rockets improved to 51-22 for the season and will likely end up in third place in the Western Conference. It trails the San Antonio Spurs by 5.5 games but is ahead of the Utah Jazz by seven games in the team standings.

The Rockets has the option to rest its starters and key players in the final games of the 2016-2017 NBA regular season. However, it’s not likely with many Rockets players stating they did not believe in resting players. Houston will face the Golden State Warrior twice and Portland Trail Blazers in its next three games.

Meanwhile, the Thunder dropped to 41-31. With 10 games left, Westbrook’s team is safe in making the postseason. However, it is trying to avoid the seventh seed in the Western Conference. It’s either the Thunder or the Memphis Grizzlies landing in seventh, where one will get a first round match-up with West powerhouse San Antonio Spurs.

Russell Westbrook is now five triple-doubles away from Oscar Robertson's single season record of 41.