Nene’s late free throws lift Rockets over Thunder, 118-116

HOUSTON (AP) – James Harden scored 26 points and Nene made two free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to lift the Houston Rockets to their sixth straight win, 118-116 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
Houston overcame Russell Westbrook’s 49 points, though the star guard struggled down the stretch.
Nene was fouled by Jerami Grant as he attempted a shot right under the basket, setting up the winning free throws.
A pair of foul shots by Harden tied it with just under two minutes remaining. The teams combined to miss seven shots after that, with Westbrook missing three in that span, before Nene’s free throws.
The Thunder attempted an alley-oop on the inbounds pass after that, but Enes Kanter couldn’t finish the play and Houston held on.
Westbrook finished two points shy of his season high as Oklahoma City dropped its third straight.