NBA: Tari Eason's season-best effort leads Rockets past Thunder

Tari Eason scored a season-high 26 points, and Alperen Sengun recorded a triple-double to lead the Houston Rockets to a 112-106 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Houston, while the Thunder dropped their second consecutive game.

With the Rockets up by four following Eason’s tip-in with 1:36 remaining, Reed Sheppard made a key defensive play, stealing Alex Caruso’s pass around Chet Holmgren under the basket. Kevin Durant then converted a crucial pull-up jumper to keep Oklahoma City close. Eason added two important offensive rebounds in the final two minutes to help Houston hold on.

Sengun, who had been struggling with a 35.2% shooting rate over his last six games, finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jabari Smith Jr. contributed 22 points, while Durant added 20 points on a season-low 10 shots.

After trailing by 15 in the first half, the Rockets rallied to tie the game early in the third quarter before a 7-0 run gave the Thunder a brief lead. Houston responded with a 24-11 run over the final 7:40 of the quarter, taking control as Oklahoma City went scoreless over the last five minutes of the period.

The Rockets led by nine early in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder fought back with seven straight points from Cason Wallace. Oklahoma City tied the game on Isaiah Joe’s steal and reverse layup with 7:02 remaining. Wallace led the Thunder, who were without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the second straight game, with 23 points. Joe added 21 off the bench.

Oklahoma City had jumped to a large lead in the second quarter, outscoring Houston 21-6 over the first eight minutes to take a 49-34 advantage. The Rockets, who started the game by making their first four 3-pointers, went just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc afterward and only 2-of-10 from the field to start the second quarter.

Despite the slow start, Houston trimmed the deficit to six by halftime and nearly cut it even further as Eason’s 33-foot buzzer-beater narrowly missed.

Jared McCain, acquired from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, made his Oklahoma City debut, scoring five points in nearly 14 minutes.

—Field Level Media/Reuters