Thunder vs. Rockets: Oklahoma City falls 107-105 in preseason opener

The defending NBA Western Conference Champion Oklahoma City Thunder opened their preseason with a loss on Wednesday night, falling 107-105 to the Houston Rockets at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

The game was competitive throughout, with the lead going back and forth in the first half before Oklahoma City ultimately took a 55-54 lead into the break. The Thunder led, 76-71, with three minutes left in the third quarter before a 12-2 Houston run gave the Rockets an 83-78 lead heading into the final frame.

Houston pushed their lead out to nine before Oklahoma City made a game of it again. Thunder guard Eric Maynor, who is returning from an ACL injury, helped lead a comeback that fell just short. Maynor scored five points and dished out three assists in the fourth quarter.

Point guard Russell Westbrook led the way for the Thunder with 19 points in 16 minutes. Kevin Durant chipped in with 13 points of his own in 20 minutes of action. James Harden's struggles from the NBA Finals carried over to Wednesday, as he shot just 3-of-11 from the field.

Oklahoma City continues their preseason slate against the Utah Jazz on Friday. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m. CT.