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Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Primer: Harden vs Westbrook

By Jonathan Macri

Jan 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) passes the ball around Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) passes the ball around Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) in the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 4, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts as it announced that he has tied the season triple double record in action against the Milwaukee Bucks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts as it announced that he has tied the season triple double record in action against the Milwaukee Bucks at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

The Contender and the Long Shot

The Houston Rockets seem like a powerhouse, finishing with not only the third best record in the league at 55-27, but also the third best point differential at +5.8 and the third best net rating of +5.4. Their offensive rating of 111.7 is second to the Warriors this year, but is the fifth best since 2000.

The other three teams besides Golden State this year are last year’s Warriors and – surprise, surprise – Mike D’Antoni’s peak Suns teams.

The Thunder, on the other hand, are a classic example of a thoroughly mediocre team with one great player having a truly transcendent season. They finished at 47-35 with a point differential of less than 1 and are one of only three playoff teams with a negative net rating. Included in that record is one win and three losses against the Rockets. On the bright side, two of those losses came by a combined five points.

In the four matchups, Westbrook has averaged over 36 ppg on 44.6% shooting, which is better than his season’s average.  He’ll get a chance to go at it again starting Sunday night at 9 pm EST on TNT when game 1 tips off in Houston. The rest of the series goes like this:

  • Wednesday, April 19 – Game 2 in Houston – 8 pm, TNT
  • Friday, April 21 – Game 3 in Oklahoma City –  9:30 pm, ESPN
  • Sunday, April 23 – Game 4in Oklahoma City – 3:30 pm, ABC
  • (if necessary) Game 5: Tuesday, April 25 in Houston – TBD
  • (if necessary) Game 6: Thursday, April 27 in Oklahoma City- TBD
  • (if necessary) Game 7: Saturday, April 29 in Houston – TBD
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