Houston Rockets Secure Thrilling Win Over Short-Handed Oklahoma City Thunder
In a high-scoring contest, the Houston Rockets edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-106 on Saturday, with Tari Eason scoring a season-high 26 points to lead his team to victory. The win marked a significant milestone for rookie Alperen Sengun, who secured his second triple-double of the season and No. 10 in his career, notching 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Rockets' balanced attack was also bolstered by Jabari Smith Jr., who contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Durant added 20 points to the tally. The Thunder, however, were dealt a significant blow without reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is set to return after the All-Star break.
The Oklahoma City lineup was further weakened by the absence of 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams and second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, leaving them short-handed. Jared McCain made his first appearance with the team since being traded from Philadelphia and scored five points in 14 minutes off the bench.
The Thunder's offense got a boost from Cason Wallace, who scored 23 points, while Isaiah Joe added 21 to their total. Despite some spirited moments from Oklahoma City fans, who still harbor resentment towards Durant for leaving nine years ago, the Rockets' star player remained focused, scoring on a short jumper with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter to give his team a 107-101 lead.
With the win, the Rockets demonstrated their resilience and depth, outscoring the Thunder in each quarter to secure the hard-fought victory.
In a high-scoring contest, the Houston Rockets edged out the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-106 on Saturday, with Tari Eason scoring a season-high 26 points to lead his team to victory. The win marked a significant milestone for rookie Alperen Sengun, who secured his second triple-double of the season and No. 10 in his career, notching 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Rockets' balanced attack was also bolstered by Jabari Smith Jr., who contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Kevin Durant added 20 points to the tally. The Thunder, however, were dealt a significant blow without reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is set to return after the All-Star break.
The Oklahoma City lineup was further weakened by the absence of 2025 All-Star Jalen Williams and second-year guard Ajay Mitchell, leaving them short-handed. Jared McCain made his first appearance with the team since being traded from Philadelphia and scored five points in 14 minutes off the bench.
The Thunder's offense got a boost from Cason Wallace, who scored 23 points, while Isaiah Joe added 21 to their total. Despite some spirited moments from Oklahoma City fans, who still harbor resentment towards Durant for leaving nine years ago, the Rockets' star player remained focused, scoring on a short jumper with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter to give his team a 107-101 lead.
With the win, the Rockets demonstrated their resilience and depth, outscoring the Thunder in each quarter to secure the hard-fought victory.
. The fact that they were able to secure this win despite being without their best player is just testament to the team's strength in depth - I mean, 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists? No big deal for a rookie! 
! And what's up with the Thunder? Being short-handed without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams is like trying to put together a puzzle with missing pieces 
. The Rockets' balanced attack was on full display, but I'm loving how they've been able to stay focused and composed under pressure 
. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds for these guys! 
.
I mean, Alperen Sengun is literally crushing it this season 
. The Rockets' win is a huge morale boost for them, and it shows they're way more resilient than we thought 
.
and that 2nd triple-double is huge 
. The Rockets' bench was looking pretty solid too, especially Jared McCain who came in hot 
. The Rockets played some awesome defense to keep them from taking over and their offense just clicked 
! They got that W 
and I love how Alperen Sengun stepped up his triple-double game again 
. The Rockets' bench is looking so fire right now 
. Still, it was an epic win for Houston and I'm hyped to see what they do next season 
!
I was trying to post my thoughts on the game and it's taking forever for them to show up! 
they have such an amazing squad now, Tari Eason is insane with those 26 points!!! 
. but what i love most about this team is how they all come together to win games like this. jabari smith jr is always on point and kevin durant, even though some ppl hate him in OKC, still brings the heat 
. and can we talk about cason wallace for a sec? 23 points is no joke! 
, like isnt he the best player on the team? and why did jalen williams miss the game? 
did he have a cold or something? 
anyway, the rockets looked super strong with all those players scoring points 
. Durant kept his cool under pressure, scoring that clutch jumper to seal the win 
got his second triple-double of the season and it's only getting better 
can't wait to see what's next for the rockets!
️! And Tari Eason's season-high 26 points is no joke 
, but they still gave it their all 
, and that short jumper by KD at the end was just wow 
! 
! I'm so hyped for this young man, he's going to take over the league soon enough 
. And don't even get me started on Oklahoma City fans still hating on KD all these years later... like what are you even mad about man? 
. All I'm saying is the Rockets proved they're more than just a one-man show, and that's music to my ears 
. It's like Trump used to say, "We're gonna win so bigly," and that's exactly what Houston did here. But let's be real, without those superstar players, OKC was a mess