Rockets-Thunder Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Nov 28 2012 1:48AM

James Harden's return to Oklahoma City has taken an emotional and tragic detour for the Houston Rockets.

The spotlight will eventually turn to the star guard.

Only hours after attending the funeral of coach Kevin McHale's daughter on Wednesday, Harden will have to deal with a different set of emotions when he faces the Thunder for the first time since being traded away last month.

Harden spent his first three seasons with Oklahoma City (11-4), winning the league's Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011-12 and helping the team to the NBA finals.

But after he and the Thunder were unable to agree on a long-term extension, Harden was dealt to Houston (7-7) on Oct. 27 in exchange for Kevin Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-rounder.

Before the meeting with his former team, however, Harden and the Rockets will be in Minneapolis for the funeral of Sasha McHale - the 23-year-old daughter of head coach Kevin McHale.

Sasha McHale died on Saturday from complications of lupus.

"I think we're strong enough to get through it," Harden said. "We've got to be there for coach. He's going through a lot right now. Our biggest thing is just supporting him, and making sure we comfort him."

Houston will head to Oklahoma City following the services.

"It'll be good to see some faces, some old teammates and coaches," said Harden, who is among the league leaders with 25.1 points per game. "I look forward to every game I play. It's another game."

Harden has averaged 28.3 points during the Rockets' season-high three-game winning streak, pouring in 24 with a career high-tying 12 assists in Tuesday's 117-101 home win over Toronto.

Despite the recent surge, Houston is still concerned about its coach, who has been away from the team since Nov. 10.

"Right now, it's an emotional time for the whole team," guard Jeremy Lin said. "We're missing our leader. Right now, we're just focused on coming out and playing the way we're supposed to play. Hopefully, when he is watching, he can be proud of us."

Lin has totaled 29 points while making 13 of 21 field goals in his past two games after averaging 7.6 over the previous seven.

The Rockets will likely need another strong performance from him if they're going to beat the Thunder for a third straight meeting.

Oklahoma City is averaging 112.7 points on 48.6 percent shooting while winning five of its last six games, and its latest performance may have been its best of the season.

The Thunder built a staggering 54-point third-quarter lead on their way to a 114-69 romp over Charlotte on Monday. They hit 51.3 percent from the floor - 13 of 27 from beyond the arc - while accumulating 31 assists for the third time in six games.

"We know we're a special team when we're sharing the ball, and that's one thing coach (Scott Brooks) has been talking about the last couple weeks," Martin told the team's official website. "Just keep on sharing the ball and trusting each other, and that's what we've been doing lately."

Kevin Durant is just above Harden among the NBA's top scorers, averaging 25.9 points. He had 18 in a season-low 26 minutes Monday.

The three-time scoring champ likely won't mind a visit from the Rockets since he's averaged 29.3 points over the past six meetings on 51.7 percent shooting - hitting 14 of 30 from long range.

Russell Westbrook has been limited to averages of 17.0 points and 4.7 assists over his past three home games with Houston.

Thunder beat Rockets 120-98 in Harden's return

By JEFF LATZKE
Posted Nov 28 2012 11:52PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) James Harden's return to Oklahoma City was only a small part of an emotional day for the Houston Rockets.

Kevin Durant matched his season high with 37 points and the Thunder beat Houston 120-98 on Wednesday night, after the Rockets made a stop in Minnesota earlier in the day to attend the funeral of coach Kevin McHale's daughter.

Harden scored 17 points, but was limited to 3-for-16 shooting. He had six shots blocked by the Thunder.

After a draining 24 hours, he was ready to put it behind him.

"It felt good just to be competing against those guys and finally get this over with, to play here and get it over with," Harden said. "Now, I can continue on with the season."

Harden missed his first nine shots, and by the time he made one, the Rockets were down by double digits in the second half. They never got closer than 10 after that.

Harden, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year as Oklahoma City made it to the finals last season, was unable to agree on a contract extension with the Thunder and was traded just before the season started.

Harden said before the game that he thought there was a "very slight chance" that he'd be traded. He has complained that general manager Sam Presti gave him only one hour to mull over Oklahoma City's final offer before the trade.

"One minute, I was at dinner with my family. The next minute, I'm headed to Houston," Harden said. "It happened pretty quick."

Harden then agreed to a maximum contract worth $80 million with Houston - something Oklahoma City wasn't willing to offer; there would have been severe salary cap ramifications if it had.

Harden said he felt "relaxed" and not pressured by the circumstances, although it didn't show in his game. Only a meaningless 3-pointer in the final 3 minutes prevented him from his worst shooting percentage yet with Houston.

"I just couldn't finish the ball around the basket," Harden said. "I had a couple of good looks. I think the other guys feel the same way."

Harden was at the center of a heated first-half incident that got Thunder backup center Hasheem Thabeet temporarily ejected. Thabeet and Harden exchanged words after Thabeet blocked two consecutive shots by Harden. Thabeet then bumped into referee Marc Davis and pushed him away, resulting in an ejection. But Davis went to instant replay and downgraded the punishment to a single technical foul.

Fans gave Thabeet a standing ovation when he returned to the court, and booed lustily as Harden made his free throw. It was Harden's first point of the game and one of only two in the first half. Harden missed all eight of his shots from the field as Houston fell behind 57-45, never really threatening after that.

"It's crazy," said Durant, who admitted he couldn't sleep overnight or when he tried to take a nap Wednesday. "Seeing him before the game and in chapel just in a different uniform is a little different. We've moved on past it, man. We're happy to see him, glad he's doing well out there in Houston but we wanted this win bad.

"For all those days in practice where him, Daequan (Cook) and Eric Maynor beat the first group, I wanted this win real bad," Durant added.

The Rockets had flown to Minnesota after blowing out Toronto on Tuesday night, arriving at the team hotel between 1:30 and 2 a.m. They were back up by 8 for a team brunch and a scouting report in suits and ties before they went to the funeral.

Acting coach Kelvin Sampson said McHale and his wife, Lynn, were arranging candles near some photos of Sasha and didn't immediately see the team walk in.

"We didn't know what to do or say, so we just waited for them to get finished, then they turn around and at the same time they looked at us," Sampson said. "Really, really, really emotional."

McHale hugged everyone in Houston's traveling party and shared a few words with each person. He took a leave of absence from the team on Nov. 10. Sasha died Saturday at age 23 of complications from lupus.

"Just to see our faces, I think, kind of gave him some kind of joy. Just to show him that we were there, our whole entire organization was there just to support him," Harden said. "No matter if it was for 5 minutes or 30 minutes, he just wanted to see our faces. I'm glad we got that opportunity to go out there and share that moment with him."

The team then flew to Oklahoma City, arriving at the arena less than 5 hours before game time. Sampson said about half of his players were in the locker room with towels over their heads, trying to squeeze in a nap during the afternoon.

Patrick Patterson scored 27 points and Omer Asik had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Rockets. Daequan Cook, also involved in the Harden trade, scored 18 points while starting in place of injured Rockets forward Chandler Parsons (shoulder).

Serge Ibaka scored 23 points and blocked six shots. Kevin Martin, the centerpiece of the trade from Oklahoma City's standpoint, had 17 points.

Before the game, the Thunder flashed a welcome back message to the players who were traded away and Harden got a warm ovation during starting lineups. Harden and Cook both greeted coach Scott Brooks and others on the Thunder bench just before tipoff.

Harden missed his first four shots - getting a jumper swatted from behind and out of bounds by Westbrook, and a fast-break layup blocked as Ibaka followed him to the basket - and committed two early turnovers. Cook also missed his first three shots, but then hit a jumper and a 3-pointer for a 19-14 Houston lead.

Oklahoma City took the lead for good with an 18-4 run, including the first nine points of the second quarter, and went up 36-25 before Thabeet and Harden had their run-in.

The lead grew to 49-33 after Harden's foul allowed Durant to convert a four-point play.

"Every day at practice, we had a war. I knew what each and every one of those guys do well and what they don't do well and vice-versa," Harden said. "I couldn't guard all five of them."

NOTES: Sampson formerly coached at Oklahoma for 12 seasons. "The circumstances that I took over this position with, I just don't feel comfortable talking about me. I talk to Kevin every day. I talked to him the day his daughter died. I'm really, really close to Kevin and I'm holding the fort down until he comes back." ... Parsons hurt his right shoulder late in Houston's win against Toronto on Tuesday night. "I don't think it's a joint. I think it's more soft tissue, but he can't get his elbow past 45 degrees," Sampson said

Notebook: Thunder 120, Rockets 98

Randy Renner, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:09 AM - Updated Thu Nov 29, 2012 12:09 AM

THE FACTS: James Harden's return to Oklahoma City (3-for-16, 17 points, three turnovers) was overshadowed by Daequan Cook's return (7-for-16, 18 points) but together they couldn't counter Kevin Durant who had a game high 37 for the Thunder (12-4) in leading the home team to a 120-98 rout of the Houston Rockets (7-8) who had been in Minneapolis earlier in the day for the funeral of head coach Kevin McHale's daughter.

Durant also had seven rebounds and four assists for the Thunder. Forward Serge Ibaka had 24 points (one short of his career high), nine rebounds and six blocked shots. Kevin Martin who came to the Thunder in the Harden trade added 17. Point guard Russell Westbrook just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Houston was led by forward Patrick Patterson who more than doubled his 13.2 point per game average by dropping 27 on the Thunder on 11-for-18 shooting. Center Omer Asik ended with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting and 12 rebounds but was a woeful 1-for-7 at the free throw line. Jeremy Lin finished with six points and eight assists.

The Rockets had a grueling back-to-back, beating Toronto last night in Houston then flying to Minneapolis for the funeral of Sasha McHale. The Rockets seemed tired at times and once the Thunder got a significant lead just couldn't get back into it.

Harden suffered through one of his worst shooting nights (18.8 percent) and was the object of constant pressure, some double-teams and an aggressive switching Thunder defense.

QUOTABLE: "I have a lot of respect for the Houston Rockets and what they went through today. It was a very classy move for them to be there (at the funeral). As to the game I thought our defense was good except for a stretch in the third quarter where we traded baskets. I liked our aggression. I wouldn't say we did anything special against James we just executed. He saw bodies, he saw hands, I thought on defense we were solid." --Thunder head coach Scott Brooks

QUOTABLE II: "We've had a tough 24-hour stretch but give Oklahoma City credit and I thought James was pressing a little bit. I'm not sure he would admit that but just looking at him play, he's played really well lately but tonight he was pressing." -- Rockets acting coach Kelvin Sampson

THE STAT: The Thunder won by 22 and outscored Houston by 10 points in the second and fourth quarters to provide most of that margin. OKC held the Rockets to 38.9 percent shooting in the second and just 33.3 percent in the fourth. The Thunder meanwhile shot 60 percent in the second quarter and 56.5 percent in the fourth.

TURNING POINT: The Thunder used a big second quarter run (28-11) to jump out in front by 18 points. The Rockets kept trying to reel the Thunder back in but never could get the game back into single digits. Oklahoma City got the lead back to 18 in the closing minutes and both coaches pulled their starters.

QUOTABLE III: "I really wanted to win this game, especially for all those times in practice that James and Daequan and the rest of the second team beat all of us on the first team." --Thunder forward Kevin Durant

QUOTABLE IV: "Everyday in practice we would go to war. I know what each and every one of those guys do and do well and vice versa. It's just I couldn't guard all five of them. It feels good to compete against these guys and finally get it over with. Now I can continue on with the season." -- Rockets guard Harden

HOT: Martin started the game 3-for-5 (eight points)...Durant was 5-for-7 (15 points) in the first 18 minutes and finished 13-for-22...Ibaka was 6-for-8 (12 points) and five blocks in the first half and finished 11-for-13...Asik was 6-for-8 (12 points) in the first half...and finished 11-for-18...

NOT: Harden started the game 0-for-8 with two turnovers and that's how he finished the first half. He finished the game 3-for-16. The Rockets were 8-for-15 (53.3 percent) on free throws in the first half and finished 18-for-30 (60 percent).

INSIDE THE ARENA: OKC's 77th straight sellout crowd gave Harden a loud ovation when he was introduced with the Rockets starting lineup. They cheered for Cook too who was also traded to Houston in the same deal and started in place of Chandler Parsons who is out with a sore shoulder. The only boos were reserved for Rockets coach Sampson. Sampson is a former head coach at the University of Oklahoma and got the school on probation for recruiting violations. After the introductions though, things changed. Harden was booed every time he stepped to the free-throw line.

GOOD MOVE: Despite what players said before the game this clearly wasn't 'just another game' for the Thunder. Oklahoma City came out with a lot of intensity of defense and constantly harassed Harden. He was shown several different looks and defenders switched up on him on almost every possession.

BAD MOVE: Thunder backup center Hasheem Thabeet got into an argument with Harden on the court and when lead official Marc Davis came up behind Thabeet the 7-3 center, not realizing it was Davis, tried to push him out of the way. Davis immediately ejected Thabeet who tried to apologize. While Thabeet trudged to the Thunder locker room Davis looked at the replay monitor and decided to bring Thabeet back into the game and assessed just a technical foul.

NOTABLE: After the final buzzer the former teammates exchanged long hugs. Harden, Cook and Cole Aldrich with their former teammates and coaches with the Thunder and Martin with his on the Rockets. Harden and Westbrook had an extended conversation with a lot of smiles and laughter and Harden and Brooks spoke at length as well.

QUOTABLE V: "James is a great player, I really like him and he's gonna be a friend for life." -- Brooks

UP NEXT: For the Rockets, Saturday vs. Utah, Tuesday vs. LA Lakers, Friday @ San Antonio. For the Thunder, Friday vs. Utah, Saturday @ New Orleans, Tuesday @ Brooklyn.

• Rockets: Delfino, Parsons, White
• Thunder: Liggins, Orton

• Rockets: --
• Thunder: Thabeet

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #27 Dick Bavetta, #58 Josh Tiven
• Attendance: 18203
• Duration: 2:10