OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) a Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each scored 29 details, and the Oklahoma City Thunder retrieved after squandering a lead in the last quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 105-102 on Wednesday night and have a 2-0 series lead. Durant hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:28 to perform, and the Thunder didn't surrender the lead next. Durant missed a free of charge place with 1 minute left, but Houston was out of timeouts and Carlos Delfino could not connect on a desperation shot at the last buzzer. James Harden scored 36 points and headed a 21-2 recovery that set the Rockets up 95-91 and wiped out the big debt. However the top-seeded Thunder could defend and respond the home-court advantage they had spent all period gaining. Game 3 is Saturday night in Houston. The Thunder's large lead melted away with eight straight empty assets as the Rockets mixed in a zone defense. Harden was able to get into the street to produce their own options, and he also kicked the ball out to setup two 3-pointers by Delfino. His second 3, from the best side, offered a lead with 3:27 to go. Before Harden knifed to the basket for a to give Houston its last guide at 97-95 with 2:42 to perform Oklahoma City came ultimately back to tie it. Durant responded immediately with a deep 3 from the left wing at the contrary conclusion, and the Thunder came up with back-to-back stops before Thabo Sefolosha's 3 offered only a little breathing space at 101-97. A long jumper was added by serge Ibaka to create it 103-98 after Durant was forced to give up the ball. Durant and Kevin Martin, both in the top 5 in the category in free-throw percentage, both went 1 for just two at the strong line in the final 12 seconds to offer the Rockets one last chance. Copy Patrick Beverley moved in to the starting lineup as Houston went with a three-guard product, and it did not just take really miss the novice to obtain under Westbrook's thin skin. Beverley lunged for a steal as Westbrook stopped to contact a timeout after Houston got a lead midway through the next quarter, together with his hip slamming in to Westbrook's right knee. Westbrook broke his right hand onto the scorer's table in rage and hobbled back again to the huddle, but could stay static in the overall game. He stripped Beverley for a runout layup two belongings later, nevertheless the Thunder still could not shake free. Another novice, Greg Smith, received a foul when he jawed at Ibaka after dunking on the NBA's top shot-blocker and Houston was still within 57-55 at halftime. Right after Harden's operating throwdown set Houston forward 63-61, Oklahoma City raged back with a sequence of 13 straight points with Ibaka keying the run. He swatted Omer Asik's dunk attempt, hit two free throws and grabbed an offensive rebound that create Westbrook's three-point play. The Thunder started the next quarter with an 11-2 to run to push their lead to 89-74 after Martin's 3-pointer with 9:22 to go. Instructor Kevin McHale called time out, and the Rockets quickly answered with Beverley's 3-pointer off a group perform a' and that was only the beginning of the recovery. The Rockets made a concerted effort to draw costs against Westbrook after McHale's complaints that he was permitted to make easy straight-line devices to the ring in Game 1. "Normally, each time a man starts his travel 10 feet on one other side of half judge, it is possible to line him up slightly. He is pretty shady, but I think we possibly may manage to point this one up," McHale said sarcastically before the game. Affirmed, Asik sent him to the table by drawing a demand a' Westbrook's 2nd foul in the first 6 minutes a' and he had to come out again when he was whistled for another bad foul for cleaning out Beverley with his wrist on a change travel with just under 2 minutes to go ahead of the half. Any games hadn't been started by notes: Beverley during his rookie season, stepping into the turn midway through the season and playing 41 games. ... After finishing 2nd to Tyson Chandler last year's voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Ibaka was third this year behind Marc Gasol and LeBron James. Ibaka has light emitting diode the NBA altogether blocks yesteryear three seasons. The league was led by "he three years in blocks. I guess that not mean nothing nowadays," frontcourt companion Kendrick Perkins said. "At the end of the day, I do believe he deserves it. He should have gained the one thing. Nonetheless it is over with, so we are just likely to move on." ... After when they had be settled down for Game 2 saying he thought nerves were one factor for several Rockets people producing their playoff debuts in Game 1, McHale was asked. "This is their 2nd playoff game, so they are grizzled veterans," he responded.
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