The Houston Rockets lost a successive game to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. The Thunder fought throughout the game and edged out the Rockets in the final few minutes as they evened the series at 2-2. The loss was overwhelming, particularly for Rockets star James Harden, who couldn’t hide his frustration as he pushed away a hand sanitizer while heading back into the locker room.

The two teams started intensely and went toe to toe until the end. The Rockets looked like they would pull away after building a solid 15 point lead in the second half. But with less than six minutes in the third quarter, they started slipping. The Thunder capitalized on this and by the end of the third, the Rockets just had a one-point lead.

The Thunder kept the Rockets on their toes till the end. With 30 seconds left and three points behind, a fatigued Harden passed the ball out in the corner to an open PJ Tucker. With the game riding on the line, Tucker missed and the Rockets never stood a chance after that. The Thunder ended up winning by 117-114.

Can James Harden and the Rockets continue the fight?

The absence of Russell Westbrook has been a big factor in the Rockets losses. Harden has been overburdened and, as a result, has looked tired recently. Although Eric Gordon has returned from injury, he is miles apart from Westbrook. The energy he brought allowed Harden to relax during games, and that helped them during the seeding games.

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Harden has been averaging 32 points so far in the series. But without Westbrook to share the load, he has been inefficient due to him taking extra shots. From taking 18.3 shots per game in the seeding games with Westbrook around, he is averaging 22.5 shots per game in the playoffs without Brodie.

With Westbrook’s return still unclear, the Rockets are going to be under tremendous pressure. Unless someone steps up big time, Harden is going to be forced to carry. Even if he is able to win two more games for them, it is highly unlikely this sustains in the upcoming second-round matchup against the Lakers or the Blazers.