Oklahoma City @ Houston preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 9, 2020 ) Houston 92, Oklahoma City 113

The blockbuster trade between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets last offseason was supposed to help the Thunder reset and propel the Rockets to greater things. The standings suggest another story, as surging Oklahoma City is catching up to its rival in the Western Conference entering Monday's matchup in Houston.

The Thunder improved to 16-7 over its last 23 games with a 119-106 win over Portland on Saturday behind 30 points from former Rocket Chris Paul, traded for one-time Oklahoma City superstar Russell Westbrook last July. "Chris has been doing this at a very high rate for a very long time," teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. "I expect nothing less from him." Including a recent 21-point loss at Oklahoma City, Houston has dropped four of its last five and three in a row, and it sits only three games ahead of the seventh-place Thunder in the West. The Rockets received 35 points from Westbrook and 34 from James Harden but fell 124-115 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday at home.

TIME: 5 p.m. ET. TV: FS Oklahoma, AT&T SportsNet Southwest

ABOUT THE THUNDER (24-19): Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the win over the Blazers, as he and Paul helped Oklahoma City shot 51.8 percent despite playing without No. 2 scorer Danilo Galinari (rest). "Just trying to stay aggressive," Paul told reporters of the mindset on offense. "You know, without Danilo, we've got to find scoring. So I tried to come out and pick my spots early and made a few shots early." Paul made 11-of-15 shots in the win and Gilgeous-Alexander reached the 20-point mark.

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (26-15): The arrival of Westbrook was meant to get Houston over the hump in the West but the team reached the halfway point of the season Saturday staring up at five other teams in the conference standings. "We've got to stay positive, man," Westbrook told the media. "Like I said the other day, in adversity, whatcha gonna do? Gotta look at yourself, stay locked in. It's a part of the season, man. It happens, but now, as a unit, as a team, we've got to stick together and figure out the best way to put our best foot forward." The four losses in the 1-4 swoon have come by an average 12.8 points and Harden is shooting 33.7 percent from the floor in the four defeats.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Thunder F Darius Bazley recorded a career-high 13 rebounds Saturday after hauling in zero in 15 minutes the night before versus Miami.

2. Westbrook has four straight games of 30 points or more, the first Rocket other than Harden to do that since 2006-07.

3. Harden scored 40 points in a 116-112 win over Oklahoma City at home Oct. 28.

PREDICTION: Rockets 117, Thunder 115