The Houston Rockets (28 - 12) defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder (18 - 20) on Thursday 112 - 10 in a game that was n't nearly as close as the score might indicate. Houston got out to a fast start, taking a commanding 44 - 18 lead by the 11 - minute mark in the second quarter. The Thunder cut the Rockets' lead to 10 early in the fourth, but Houston answered with a 120 run to effectively close out Oklahoma City. Houston ended the game shooting 47% from the floor, but was shooting above 50% for much of the contest. Oklahoma City came out flat after a long rest, having last played on Friday against Utah. Things wo n't get much easier for the Thunder, who host the Warriors on Friday before going on a five - game road trip next week against the likes of the Wizards and Hawks. Oklahoma City is now three and a half games behind Phoenix for the eighth seed in the West. Houston has now won both games against Oklahoma City this season, although Thursday's contest was drastically different than the 69 - 65 game in November where both teams shot under 30% from the floor. Point guard Patrick Beverley, who suffered a knee contusion Wednesday, was able to play 32 minutes and finished with 13 points and five rebounds. James Harden finished one rebound shy of a triple - double as he dropped 31 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds on the Thunder. Houston will host Golden State on Saturday.
["PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 10 Assists ,has 31 Minutes played ,has 9 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Patrick Beverley') has 32 Assists ,has 13 Minutes played ,has 5 Points ."]