Russell Westbrook had a season-high 34 points and P.J. Tucker a career-best 19 rebounds, but the Houston Rockets (15-8) wasted those performances in a 119-118 home loss Monday to the Kings (10-13).
The Rockets took a 118-116 lead with just one second left to play on a Westbrook layup, but Sacramento’s Nemanja Bjelica took advantage of a blown coverage to hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.
Buddy Hield led the Kings with 26 points and six made three-pointers, including one with under 10 seconds left to tie the game after Ben McLemore had briefly given the Rockets a three-point lead at 116-113.
Both teams combined for four tying or go-ahead shots in the final 20 seconds, punctuated by Bjelica’s game-winner.
After the game, head coach Mike D’Antoni appeared quite subdued and blamed his defense for the game’s final shot.
Tucker and Clint Capela (13 points, 17 rebounds) combined for 36 rebounds between them, leading Houston to a 51-37 edge on the glass. However, the Kings made up for that with an unusual 20-17 advantage against the always three-point-happy Rockets in made three-pointers — including the last two buckets in the final 10 seconds.
The loss marred what was undoubtedly Westbrook’s finest night yet with the Rockets, with his 34 points coming on 13-of-17 shooting (76.5%) from the field and 2-of-4 (50%) from behind the three-point arc. He also had eight assists in his 36 minutes (box score).
Backcourt mate James Harden had an uncharacteristically inefficient night with 27 points on 8-of-19 shooting (42.1%) and eight turnovers, though he did have two made three-pointers wiped off the board late in the third quarter on controversial replay decisions.
Coming off a brutal loss, Houston hits the road for a two-game road trip at Cleveland (5-18) and Orlando (11-12) on Wednesday and Friday.
