Thunder falter late in close loss to Rockets

The Thunder was able to overcome a large deficit, but was unable to hit a big shot late in a tough loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

In the 96-95 loss, OKC had four chances in the final 23 seconds to make a go-ahead shot, but failed to do so. OKC shot 6-24 in the first quarter and fell behind 31-13, before cutting the lead to 45-44 at half. The Thunder finished the game shooting 43 percent from the floor.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 33 points, 21 in the second half. Russell Westbrook finished with 26 points.

The usual adversary made an appearance for OKC tonight, in the form of 21 turnovers. The Thunder had issues from 3-point range, shooting 7-23, including 1-5 from a struggling Daequan Cook.

Now, three thoughts on the loss.

1. Reggie Jackson continues to improve. Jackson was impressive in his 10 minutes on the floor, logging four assists and turning the ball over only once. He is filling in for the injured Eric Maynor nicely, and is continuing to gain confidence. He doesn't look a whole lot like a rookie anymore.

2. OKC doesn't need to settle for jumpers. Outside of Cook, no one in the Thunder rotation is a spot-up 3-point shooter. Guys like Westbrook, Durant and Harden need to get to the rim early on and build confidence before unleashing a barrage of outside shots. They are some of the most athletic players in the game, and need to take advantage of that.

3. The late-game offense needs to improve. Although OKC got some decent looks late in the game, the players get in a habit of standing around and watching Durant and sometimes Westbrook play one-on-one. Even if the play isn't designed for the other guys on the floor, they need to either crash to the rim for a rebound, or get in a position where they can be an emergency outlet. As clutch as Durant is, he will occasionally need help.