HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) - The Rockets' losing skid now stands at four games after letting a 16-point fourth quarter lead get away in a 112-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday at Toyota Center.
The lead was 15 with under seven minutes to play, but Danilo Gallinari's third three-pointer of the fourth quarter capped a 16-1 Thunder run and tied the game at 101.
The lead changed hands a couple of times after that, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's fastbreak dunk following a James Harden turnover put Oklahoma City on top with 1:13 to play, which started an 8-2 burst to close the game.
Oklahoma City outscored the Rockets 41-20 in the game's final 12 minutes with Gallinari accounting for 12 points, while Dennis Schröder scored 15.
The loss wasted Russell Westbrook's 32-point, 11-rebound, 12-assist triple-double, the 101st of his career and first against the team which he was drafted by, giving him a triple-double against all 30 NBA teams.
James Harden scored 29 points, but shot just 1-of-17 from behind the three-point line as the Rockets connected on just 9-of-45 shots from long distance for the game.
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Lugentz Dort, making his first NBA start, drained a three with 3:51 left in the first quarter to put the Thunder up 20-10.
But the Rockets closed the period on a 15-2 run, capped by Thabo Sefolosha's 28-footer at the buzzer to put the Rockets up 25-22.
The run continued when Danuel House connected from long distance to put the Rockets up by six, but Oklahoma City reclaimed the lead thanks to a torrid period by Chris Paul, who finished with a career-high 20 points in the quarter.
The Rockets shot 63 percent in the quarter and led by seven at halftime. They built on that lead after halftime by holding the Thunder to 14 points on 23 percent shooting in the third quarter.
Paul led Oklahoma City with 28 points, but scored just one point after halftime. Gallinari added 25, while Schröder chipped in 23.
The loss drops the Rockets to 26-16 on the season, and they'll look to avoid a fifth straight loss when they host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
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