(SportsNetwork.com) - The Oklahoma City Thunder picked up a huge win last time out and will try to rebuild some momentum Friday night when they host the Golden State Warriors at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder knocked off the Houston Rockets, 104-92, in Houston on Thursday night. It was only their second victory in their last five tries.
Thursday's contest was a tale of two halves.
The Rockets led 73-59 at the break after going 12-of-20 from beyond the arc, but missed all 14 of their 3-point attempts over the final 24 minutes while tallying just 19 points.
The minus-54 point differential is the largest between halves in NBA history.
"Our defense was the reason we won this game. We had to stay disciplined. Everyone played hard," said Kevin Durant, who went 18-for-20 from the foul line.
Durant had 36 points, seven assists and five rebounds for OKC. Reggie Jackson added 23 points and six steals for the Thunder, followed by a great effort from Serge Ibaka, who had 21 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots.
The Thunder will also host the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers on this homestand.
After their 10-game winning streak, the Warriors have dropped two of three, including a disappointing 123-116 home loss to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.
Denver trailed 116-115 with just over a minute to play. J.J. Hickson buried a pullup jumper to put the Nuggets on top before stripping Stephen Curry at the other end and going coast-to-coast for a two-handed dunk and a 119-116 lead.
"Just a bad possession at the end, trying to do too much at the top of the key," Curry said of turning the ball over late. "Just a bad game all around."
The Nuggets made their free throws and grabbed a huge offensive rebound to steal the victory.
David Lee tallied 28 points and 11 boards, while Curry followed with 24 points, despite going 4-of-13 from 3-point range in the setback.
Klay Thompson added 21 points, Harrison Barnes chipped in 15 and Draymond Green scored 11 off the bench. Andrew Bogut had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Warriors will head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans Saturday night. That will wrap up this short road trip and Golden State will be at Oracle Arena for its next five.
The Warriors and Thunder have split two meetings this season with each team winning at home. The Thunder have taken eight of the last 10 against the Warriors and nine in a row as the host.
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