James Harden scored a game-high 40 points while Russell Westbrook finished an assist shy of his second consecutive triple-double, but it was the two-way prowess of PJ Tucker that led the Houston Rockets to a 116-112 win over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Tucker had 17 points and nine rebounds, and he regularly assumed the challenge of defending both big and small opponents in the match which saw Westbrook come face to face with his former team for the first time since being traded to Houston, and vice-versa for Chris Paul.
Truckers corner three-pointer with 54.8 seconds left provided the Rockets the six-point cushion they needed to survive late treys from Danilo Gallinari, Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Harden then sealed the victory via his precision at the free-throw line, going 6-for-6 in the last two minutes.
