James Harden, Rockets and Chris Paul, Thunder Both Lead Huge Comebacks for Wins
December 17, 2019
No lead was safe in the NBA on Monday.
The Houston Rockets overcame a 25-point deficit during their 109-107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs and didn't even have the biggest comeback of the night. That went to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who battled back from a 26-point hole to stun the Chicago Bulls in a 109-106 win.
While the victors deserve plenty of credit, the blown leads also said plenty about the losers.
The Bulls have made a habit of squandering leads this entire season and are 10-19 as a result. There was optimism in the Windy City entering the campaign because of the team's young core, but the start of the season has been anything but welcoming for a proud franchise that missed the playoffs the past two years.
Meanwhile, San Antonio's streak of 22 straight seasons in the playoffs is in serious jeopardy at 10-16.
The team is a mere 21st in the league in defensive rating, per NBA.com. It had no answer for James Harden (28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists) and Russell Westbrook (31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists) on that end of the floor.
The Spurs won't be thanking the Bulls either, as they fell two games behind the Thunder for the final postseason spot in the Western Conference.
Chicago blew its lead even though Zach LaVine poured in 39 points. Chris Paul (30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists) and Danilo Gallinari (22 points, six rebounds and four assists) each countered with impressive showings to spearhead OKC's attack.
The Thunder are next in action Wednesday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Rockets are visiting the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday in a potential Western Conference playoff preview.