It wasn't pretty, but the Houston Rockets were able to hold off a fourth-quarter surge by Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder to win 102-99 on Friday.

The Rockets led comfortably for most of the game, but a scoring drought in the fourth almost doomed Houston as the Thunder got within a point with less than minute left. The Rockets, though, made a key defensive stop in the waning seconds and were able to pick up the victory.

James Harden flirted with a triple-double and led the Rockets with 21 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists. Eric Gordon continued his excellent play off the bench by knocking down three 3-pointers and finishing with 17 points.

Westbrook led the Thunder, becoming the first player since Michael Jordan in the 1988-89 season to record seven straight triple-doubles. The Thunder All-Star finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

Takeaways

Beverley, my old friend: The Thunder had a chance to take the lead with just 17.8 seconds on the clock, so naturally they went to Westbrook. But as he has been known to do, Patrick Beverley stuck with and frustrated Westbrook throughout the entire possession, forcing the Thunder guard to airball a 3-pointer.

Beverley is a tenacious defender and frustrated Westbrook all game long. Westbrook was rolling in the fourth as well, scoring 11 of his 21 points in the period, but with the game on the line Beverley made life extremely difficult for the Thunder superstar.

Beverley also secured the last rebound of the game and, after the final buzzer sounded, he was so hyped that he almost knocked down Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni with a chest bump:


Westbrook reaches Jordan status:

For the seventh straight game, Westbrook finished with a triple-double, making him the first player since Michael Jordan (1988-89) to accomplish such a feat. He was relentless as ever against the Rockets, scoring with ferocity in the fourth and setting his teammates up perfectly.

And while the Thunder All-Star did miss all seven of his 3-point attempts and had eight turnovers, as CBS Sports' Matt Moore points out, Westbrook has to do it all for the Thunder and his triple-doubles evolve out of necessity and not really from stat-padding.

Westbrook will look to continue his streak and catch Wilt Chamberlain (9 straight triple-doubles) in the Thunder's next two games against the Celtics and Trail Blazers.

The Beard: This was not the most efficient game for James Harden. He shot a dismal 6-of-23, was 2-for-11 from deep and had eight of Houston's 15 turnovers. Yet Harden still led the Rockets with 21 points and helped Houston snap Oklahoma City's six-game win streak.

Movin' on up: This was a significant win for the Rockets as their season series with the Thunder is now tied at 1. Also, with a record of 16-7, the Rockets are tied for third in the West with the Los Angeles Clippers. Houston has won five games in a row and is two wins from second in the West.

Turnovers aplenty: With MVP candidates Harden and Westbrook facing off against each other, this game had the potential to be a classic. But instead, it was rather ragged and sloppy.

The Thunder committed seven turnovers in the first quarter, which put them in a hole right from the start and they finished with 19 turnovers. Houston did a slightly better job taking care of the ball, recording 15 turnovers and eight in the second half, allowing the Thunder to mount their comeback.

Westbrook and Harden were the biggest offenders when it came to turnovers, recording eight apiece.

Play of the Game: Sam Dekker showed no mercy on Enes Kanter, throwing down a vicious one-handed slam that sent the Thunder center to the ground: