Game ID: 22301212
Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at 8:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 32 23 25 30 110OKC 22 28 24 27 101
HOU vs OKC ScoutingHOU vs OKC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/28 · 3 days' restOUT Thompson missed 10 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/29 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 11 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 9 since 11/08, returns tonight: 6 min (31% of 19)
OUT Landale missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 14 min (100% of 14)
HOU availability going into 12/02 · 2 days' restOUT Thompson missed 12 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 11/29 after 9, 6 min since (31% of 19)
BACK Landale back 11/29 after 2, 14 min since (100% of 14)
NEW Holiday 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Thompson missed 13 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 11/29 after 9, 4 min since (24% of 19)
BACK Landale back 11/29 after 2, 8 min since (61% of 14)
HOU availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 14 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 11/29 after 9, 4 min since (24% of 19)
BACK Landale back 11/29 after 2, 8 min since (61% of 14)
NEW Holiday 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Thompson missed 15 since 11/04, returns tonight: 10 min (46% of 22)
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 2 since 12/06, out tonight
NEW Holiday 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/13 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 3 since 12/06, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 3 since 12/06, returns tonight: 10 min (76% of 14)
BACK Thompson back 12/11 after 15, 10 min since (46% of 22)
NEW Holiday 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 4 since 12/06, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 12/11 after 15, 10 min since (46% of 22)
BACK Landale back 12/13 after 3, 10 min since (76% of 14)
OKC availability going into 11/25 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 2 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 5 since 11/14, returns tonight: 8 min (81% of 10)
BACK Micić back 11/14 after 4, 13 min since (110% of 12)
OKC availability going into 11/28 · 2 days' restOUT Jal. Williams missed 3 since 11/19, returns tonight: 34 min (106% of 32)
BACK Dieng back 11/25 after 5, 8 min since (81% of 10)
NEW Joe 18 to 24 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 11/30 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 2 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Jal. Williams back 11/28 after 3, 34 min since (106% of 32)
BACK Dieng back 11/25 after 5, 5 min since (48% of 10)
NEW Joe 18 to 23 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 3 since 11/25, out tonight
BACK Jal. Williams back 11/28 after 3, 32 min since (98% of 32)
BACK Dieng back 11/25 after 5, 5 min since (48% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Micić missed 4 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 2 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Jal. Williams back 11/28 after 3, 31 min since (96% of 32)
NEW Joe 18 to 24 min over the last 5
OKC availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT Micić missed 5 since 11/25, out tonight
OUT Dieng missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Jal. Williams back 11/28 after 3, 31 min since (98% of 32)
OKC availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Micić missed 6 since 11/25, returns tonight: 16 min (133% of 12)
OUT Dieng missed 4 since 11/30, returns tonight: 26 min (262% of 10)
BACK Jal. Williams back 11/28 after 3, 33 min since (103% of 32)
OKC availability going into 12/14 · 2 days' restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 16 min since (133% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 26 min since (262% of 10)
OKC availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restBACK Micić back 12/11 after 6, 16 min since (133% of 12)
BACK Dieng back 12/11 after 4, 18 min since (183% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 21 and Sengun at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Thompson (13 straight). 3 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Holmgren at 19 a game. 3 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where OKC takes 26 free throws a game to Houston's 20. Call it OKC 113, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
11/24 vs DEN 105-86 — HOU notes
HOU won 105-86. HOU shot 49% (40 of 82) to DEN's 34%, 12 of 29 from three, and got to the line 15 times to DEN's 21. Ja. Green led with 25 (10 of 18, 3 of 8 from three); Sengun added 21, VanVleet 17. The hinge was Q1, 29-19: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 26. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
11/28 @ DAL 115-121 — HOU notes
HOU lost 115-121. HOU shot 49% (42 of 85) to DAL's 47%, 8 of 29 from three. HOU turned it over 12 times to DAL's 7. Sengun led with 31 (10 of 19, 11 of 14 at the line); Smith Jr. added 16, Brooks 16. Q3 was theirs, 38-30, turning a 4-point deficit into a 4-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 91-77 against them. VanVleet's -12 in 41 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/29 @ DEN 124-134 — HOU notes
HOU lost 124-134. HOU shot 55% (47 of 86) to DEN's 51%, 16 of 41 from three, and got to the line 19 times to DEN's 26. HOU turned it over 8 times to DEN's 3. Ja. Green led with 26 (8 of 12, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Sengun added 22, Smith Jr. 15. Q3 was theirs, 38-32, the deficit cut from 17 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 102-86 against them. Smith Jr.'s -22 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/02 @ LAL 97-107 — HOU notes
HOU lost 97-107. HOU shot 40% (36 of 89) to LAL's 45%, 11 of 31 from three, and got to the line 18 times to LAL's 27. HOU turned it over 16 times to LAL's 9, and LAL turned those into 11 steals. VanVleet led with 22 (7 of 15, 4 of 7 from three); Sengun added 21, Holiday 11. Q1 was theirs, 30-25, but the other 3 periods went 82-67 against them. VanVleet's -22 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/06 vs OKC 110-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 110-101. HOU shot 48% (40 of 83) to OKC's 43%, 15 of 33 from three. HOU turned it over 19 times to OKC's 8, and OKC turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 53-30 for them. Brooks led with 23 (9 of 17, 2 of 7 from three); Holiday added 22, Sengun 21. The hinge was Q1, 32-22: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/08 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Jokić at 28 and Jackson at 21 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Thompson (14 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Denver minus-2 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 14 times a game to Denver's 9. Call it Denver 113, Houston 110, Houston keeping it close.
12/11 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (15 straight), Whitmore (2 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 123, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Vassell at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and San Antonio minus-4 and the defense, Houston allowing 114 a night to San Antonio's 123. Call it Houston 118, San Antonio 110.
12/13 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 19 and VanVleet at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Whitmore (3 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Bane at 30 and Jackson Jr. at 25 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morant (22 straight), Smart (11 straight), Jackson (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Memphis minus-4 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Memphis's 17. Call it Houston 112, Memphis 105.
12/15 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 33 and Bane at 30 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Morant (23 straight), Smart (12 straight), Jackson (8 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 100, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; VanVleet at 17 and Sengun at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-11 a night and Memphis minus-10 and the defense, Houston allowing 100 a night to Memphis's 116. Call it Houston 111, Memphis 106.
11/25 vs PHI 123-127 — OKC notes
OKC lost 123-127. OKC took 15 more shots (98 to 83), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 44% to PHI's 46%, 16 of 43 from three, and got to the line 26 times to PHI's 45. OKC turned it over 4 times to PHI's 12. The glass went 38-49 against them. Holmgren led with 33 (13 of 21, 5 of 11 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 31, Joe 13. Q4 was theirs, 41-34, the deficit cut from 11 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 93-82 against them. Wallace's -15 in 14 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/28 @ MIN 103-106 — OKC notes
OKC lost 103-106. OKC took 12 more shots (90 to 78), but shot 41% to MIN's 42%, 11 of 30 from three, and got to the line 23 times to MIN's 32. OKC turned it over 8 times to MIN's 19. The glass went 36-51 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 32 (13 of 22, 6 of 6 at the line); Holmgren added 16, Jal. Williams 10. Q1 was theirs, 29-19, but the other 3 periods went 87-74 against them. They led by as many as 12. Jal. Williams's -15 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/30 vs LAL 133-110 — OKC notes
OKC won 133-110. OKC shot 53% (50 of 94) to LAL's 44%, 14 of 42 from three, and got to the line 22 times to LAL's 32. OKC turned it over 7 times to LAL's 13. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (11 of 18, 1 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Jal. Williams added 21, Holmgren 18. The hinge was Q2, 42-23: OKC came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 23. Wallace was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
12/02 @ DAL 126-120 — OKC notes
OKC won 126-120. OKC shot 44% (44 of 100) to DAL's 45%, 20 of 44 from three, and got to the line 22 times to DAL's 35. Jal. Williams led with 23 (9 of 19, 3 of 5 from three); Gilgeous-Alexander added 17, Wallace 15. The hinge was Q2, 39-29: a lead of 6 became 16, and the lead reached 24. Jay. Williams was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/06 @ HOU 101-110 — OKC notes
OKC lost 101-110. OKC shot 43% (37 of 87) to HOU's 48%, 8 of 29 from three. OKC turned it over 8 times to HOU's 19. The glass went 30-53 against them. Gilgeous-Alexander led with 33 (13 of 18, 7 of 9 at the line); Jal. Williams added 13, Wiggins 11. Q2 was theirs, 28-23, the deficit cut from 10 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 87-73 against them. Dort's -27 in 15 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 29 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Golden State comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Curry at 29 and Thompson at 17 a game. Without Jackson-Davis (4 straight), Payton II (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Golden State has been plus-3 a night and OKC minus-8 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 16 times a game to OKC's 8. Call it OKC 117, Golden State 113, Golden State keeping it close.
12/11 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 31 and Jal. Williams at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 117, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Collins at 15 and Sexton at 14 a game. Without Markkanen (7 straight), Juzang (4 straight), Sensabaugh (21 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-10 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 9. Call it OKC 120, Utah 109, OKC by 11.
12/14 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Fox at 27 and Monk at 18 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Jal. Williams at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been minus-0 a night and OKC minus-7 and the arc, Sacramento at 40 percent from three to OKC's 36. Call it OKC 119, Sacramento 118, Sacramento keeping it close.
12/16 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 24 free throws a game; Murray at 22 and Jokić at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Jal. Williams at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-2 a night and OKC minus-9 and the defense, Denver allowing 111 a night to OKC's 123. Call it Denver 118, OKC 115, OKC keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
OKCAW A. Wiggins
CH C. Holmgren
CW C. Wallace
IJ I. Joe
JG J. Giddey
JW J. Williams
JW Jal. Williams
KW K. Williams
LD L. Dort
SG S. Gilgeous-Alexander
TM T. Mann
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
RB R. Bullock Jr.
TE T. Eason
OKC/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Dillon Brooks scores 23, Rockets snap a 3-game skid with a 110-101 win over Thunder
HOUSTON -- — Dillon Brooks scored 23 points and the Houston Rockets snapped a three-game skid with a 110-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
Aaron Holiday scored a season-high 22 points off the bench and matched a career best with six 3-pointers. He also added six rebounds in 27 minutes as Houston improved to 9-9 overall, with all of their wins coming at home.
“I think I am a pretty good shooter,” Holiday said. "Every shot I shoot, I think it’s going in. Sometimes it just doesn’t, that’s the way it goes. For the most part, I think they are going in.”
Alperen Sengun added 21 points, six rebounds, and seven assists for the Rockets, and Jabari Smith chipped in a career-high 18 rebounds, helping Houston win the battle of the boards 53-30.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting. Oklahoma City’s four other starters combined for 29 points while converting on 10 of 38 shots from the field.
Jalen Williams scored 13 points for the Thunder, while rookie center Chet Holmgren finished with four points and six blocked shots. Oklahoma City drops to 13-7 on the season after entering the game winners of eight of its last 10 games.
“We had them in striking distance,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It never felt like we had control of the game. I thought they were outplaying us, and it felt like that. We had a chance. We had a chance to string together a little bit of energy and obviously we couldn’t do that tonight.”
Brooks shot 9 for 17 from the field and helped start a run in the third quarter that helped turn a tight game into a lopsided win for the Rockets.
Houston scored the first eight points of the third quarter to push a five-point halftime lead to 13. Oklahoma City cut its deficit to one with 3:30 left, but Brooks scored five straight, and the Rockets took a six point lead into the fourth quarter and then broke the game open.
“We finished (the third quarter) well,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Rolled that over into the fourth quarter, and the message was, you let this team hang around, and they’re gonna start making shots, and they got some elite scorers.”
Led by Holiday, Houston went on a 20-7 run in the fourth quarter that increased its lead to 17 points. The Rockets maintained at least an eight-point lead the rest of the way.
Jalen Green’s nine points in the first quarter, capped a by a 23-footer at the buzzer, helped the Rockets to a 10-point lead after the game’s first 12 minutes. He finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting.