Rockets vs. Thunder: Score, results, highlights from OKC's close Christmas victory

Jordan Greer

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Rockets vs. Thunder: Score, results, highlights from OKC's close Christmas victory image

It took a little while for the stars to find their groove, but the Rockets and Thunder gave basketball fans an entertaining display on Christmas Day.

Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony each contributed at least 20 points in Oklahoma City's 112-107 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Westbrook poured in a game-high 31 points to go with 11 assists and six rebounds as the Thunder pushed their winning streak to five games.

MORE: Rockets vs. Thunder box score | Full NBA scoreboard

James Harden finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double (29 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds) in the loss, and the Rockets have now dropped three in a row following defeats at the hands of the Lakers and Clippers. This is a Houston team that clearly misses the impact of a healthy Chris Paul.

Sporting News provided live updates for the matchup between the Rockets and Thunder. Find out how OKC escaped with a win on Christmas Day.

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Rockets vs. Thunder: Score, highlights, updates

Final: Thunder 112, Rockets 107

10:27 p.m. ET — The Thunder hold the Rockets in check in the fourth quarter and earn their fifth consecutive victory behind 75 combined points from Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. James Harden puts up 29 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds in the loss, and Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza each add 20 points.

Following Hack-A-Roberson tactic employed by Mike D'Antoni in the fourth quarter, Andre Roberson was huge defensively in forcing stops against Houston's powerful offense. The Rockets now own wins over the top two teams in the Western Conference.

10:22 p.m. ET — Andre Roberson sits to avoid the hacking and comes back for the final two minutes. He makes a terrific defensive play on James Harden to force a turnover, then takes a Russell Westbrook pass on the break and finishes a reverse layup under the basket. Thunder 112, Rockets 107 with 21 seconds to go.

10:15 p.m. ET — The Hack-A-Roberson strategy is here. The Rockets foul Andre Roberson on consecutive possessions, but he hits two out of his four attempts to at least put some points on the board. He came into the game shooting below 30 percent from the charity stripe. Ouch.

10:11 p.m. ET — Paul George picks up his fourth personal foul with less than five minutes to go in regulation. The Thunder lead 102-99, so this one could go down to the wire. The trio of Westbrook-George-Anthony have combined for 69 points so far.

10:03 p.m. ET — Russell Westbrook with room to run? That's a problem.

9:53 p.m. ET — So, the Thunder lost the third quarter. Let's see if this trend continues...

End of third quarter: Thunder 88, Rockets 88

9:48 p.m. ET — And we're back where we started. The third quarter ends with both teams on 88. James Harden and Russell Westbrook have come alive in the second half with Harden approaching triple-double territory (25 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds). Every OKC starter except for Andre Roberson has scored at least 15 points, so it will be interesting to see where the Thunder go down the stretch.

9:40 p.m. ET — Just putting everyone on notice: James Harden is doing James Harden things.

9:35 p.m. ET — This end-to-end play by Russell Westbrook... bananas.

9:28 p.m. ET — The Thunder hit the Rockets with a quick 7-2 run at the start of the second half. Mike D'Antoni needs a timeout.

Halftime: Thunder 58, Rockets 57

9:10 p.m. ET — Russell Westbrook had a rough first half in terms of shooting, missing 10 of his 14 attempts, but he is making an impact elsewhere with six assists and two steals. Carmelo Anthony (14 points, five rebounds) and Steven Adams (15 points, eight rebounds) have picked up the slack.

OKC has also done a strong job of containing James Harden, who has missed seven of his first eight shots, though he has seven assists and five rebounds. The big man battle between Clint Capela and Adams should be fun to watch in the second half.

8:56 p.m. ET — As Uncle Drew would say, "That's a pocket pass!"

8:49 p.m. ET — Paul George was pumped for this game! OK, well, he was a little nervous.

End of first quarter: Rockets 31, Thunder 28

8:35 p.m. ET — The Rockets and Thunder trade runs with Trevor Ariza and Steven Adams leading the way (who would've bet on those guys being the leading scorers through one quarter?). Russell Westbrook has five assists, but he has missed all six of his field goal attempts. He's had a few good looks, so let's see if he can find a rhythm here.

8:29 p.m. ET — Trevor Ariza leads all scorers with 12 points in eight minutes on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. James Harden has only taken two shots in the first quarter, but he does already have four assists.

8:21 p.m. ET — Uh oh. We'll have to wait and see what's going on with Andre Roberson's hand. (UPDATE: ESPN's Cassidy Hubbarth reports Roberson suffered a dislocated finger but, he is available to return.)

8:13 p.m. ET — The Thunder sprint out of the gates with a 9-2 run to start the game. Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams are scoring early and often.

8:05 p.m. ET — Carmelo Anthony nearly joined the Rockets this past offseason. Now he'll play against them for the first time this season. He's had some success in past Christmas Day games.

7:50 p.m. ET — Christmas birthday! Happy 29th birthday to Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon!

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.