Oklahoma City @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Apr 9, 2019 ) Houston 111, Oklahoma City 112

Russell Westbrook starred for the Oklahoma City Thunder for 11 seasons, winning two scoring titles, one Most Valuable Player award and reaching the All-Star Game eight times. He will compete against the Thunder for the first time Wednesday when he leads the Houston Rockets into the finale of a season-opening three-game homestand.

"I play the same way every night, regardless of who's on the floor," the 30-year-old, who was traded to Houston in July in exchange for guard Chris Paul and several draft picks, told reporters. "I got friends on every team. Obviously the difference is that this is my first time playing Oklahoma." Westbrook picked up his first 138 career triple-doubles with Oklahoma City and recorded his first with the Rockets on Saturday with 28 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in a 126-123 win over New Orleans. His former team comes to Houston fresh off its first victory in the post-Westbrook era, a 120-92 win over Golden State on Sunday. Dennis Schroder scored 22 points in 25 minutes and Paul, who spent two seasons in Houston prior to the trade, was one of four others to finish in double figures.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Oklahoma, AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Houston)

ABOUT THE THUNDER (1-2): Oklahoma City shot under 40 percent in back-to-back losses to begin the season before hitting on 55.7 percent of its shots in the rout of the Warriors. Schroder was 9-for-13 and chipped in eight rebounds, six assists and four steals in a quality tune-up to a matchup with Westbrook. "I never seen him go easy on anybody," Schroder told the media of his former teammate.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (1-1): While Westbrook has hit the ground running in Houston, fellow star guard James Harden has struggled mightily with his shot. After going 2-for-13 from the floor in a season-opening loss to Milwaukee, the two-time defending scoring champ was 8-for-29 on Saturday, and he's 3-for-26 from beyond the arc thus far. "I'm going to take as many shots as they give me," Harden told reporters of his shooting woes. "Tonight, they didn't fall. But the most important thing is, we've got to win. I think we locked in defensively when we needed to get stops. It's slowly coming together."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets SG Gerald Green is scheduled to undergo surgery on his broken left foot Monday and could be out for the season, according to the Houston Chronicle.

2. Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 24.3 points through the first three games.

3. Oklahoma City won three of four matchups last season despite Harden averaging 35.3 points.

PREDICTION: Rockets 116, Thunder 107