NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets

· National Basketball Association
15-5, 7-3 Away
Final
116 - 119

15-6, 9-3 Home

VanVleet has season-high 38 to lead Rockets to 119-116 win over Thunder

Scuffle ensues after Dillon Brooks, SGA fight for the ball

The game was tied at 113 when Brooks hit the short jumper in the lane just before the shot clock expired to put the Rockets on top with 33.1 seconds to go.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a shot on the other end and Brooks grabbed the rebound. VanVleet was fouled and made both free throws to make it 117-113 with 4.6 seconds remaining.

Jalen Williams got the Thunder within 1 on a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, but VanVleet made two more free throws to secure the win.

It’s the third straight win for the Rockets and their fifth in the last six games, and it came after Oklahoma City got a 126-107 victory in the first meeting on Nov. 8.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points in his fourth straight 30-point game for the Thunder, whose four-game winning streak was snapped.

Takeaways Thunder: Isaiah Hartenstein is off to a strong start in his return after missing the first 15 games of the season with a fractured hand. He had 19 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday and has had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in each of his five games this season.

Rockets: Four of Houston’s starters finished in double figures with Alperen Sengun scoring 20, Brooks with 16 and Jabari Smith Jr. with 15.

Key moment The shot by Brooks put the Rockets on top 115-113. It came after a jump ball that he won against Gilgeous-Alexander.

Key stat These teams combined to shoot 64 free throws with Houston going 30 of 39 and Oklahoma City making 19 of 25.

Up next The Rockets begin a three-game trip at Sacramento Tuesday night, and the Thunder host the Jazz that night.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 116 - 119
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 116 - 119
4th 0.0 Thunder offensive team rebound 116 - 119
4th 0.0 Jalen Williams misses 30-foot three point shot 116 - 119
4th 1.1 Fred VanVleet makes free throw 2 of 2 116 - 119

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/okc.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originOKC https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/hou.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originHOU
42-94 FG 38-92
45 Field Goal % 41
13-39 3PT 13-37
33 Three Point % 35
19-25 FT 30-39
76 Free Throw % 77
46 Rebounds 51
11 Offensive Rebounds 15
35 Defensive Rebounds 36
30 Assists 20
5 Steals 3
4 Blocks 6
7 Turnovers 10
0 Team Turnovers 0
7 Total Turnovers 10
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
8 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 10
13 Fast Break Points 15
56 Points in Paint 46
26 Fouls 21
8 Largest Lead 11
Houston Rockets Houston Rockets Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Dorian Finney-Smith, F Out Dec 3
Fred VanVleet, G Out Sep 22
Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Aaron Wiggins, G Out Dec 22
Alex Caruso, G Out Dec 22
Chet Holmgren, C Out Dec 22
Ousmane Dieng, F Out Dec 21
Jaylin Williams, F Out Dec 21

Game Information

Toyota Center (Houston)

Location: Houston, TX
Attendance: 18,055 · Capacity:

2025-26 Northwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Oklahoma City 25 3 .893 - L1
Denver 20 7 .741 4.5 L1
Minnesota 19 10 .655 6.5 W2
Portland 12 16 .429 13 W3
Utah 10 17 .370 14.5 L2

2025-26 Southwest Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
San Antonio 21 7 .750 - W6
Houston 17 9 .654 3 L1
Memphis 13 15 .464 8 L1
Dallas 11 18 .379 10.5 L1
New Orleans 7 22 .241 14.5 W4
Full Standings

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