Wednesday's contest between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder will feature the first return visit by James Harden on the visiting bench.
Harden spent his first three seasons with Oklahoma City, winning the league's Sixth Man of the Year award in 2011-12 and helping the team to the NBA finals.
But after he and the Thunder were unable to agree on a long-term extension, Harden was dealt to Houston (7-7) on Oct. 27 in exchange for Kevin Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-rounder.
Harden has averaged 28.3 points during the Rockets' season-high three-game winning streak, pouring in 24 with a career high-tying 12 assists in Tuesday's 117-101 home win over Toronto.
Despite Harden's departure, the Thunder still have managed an 11-4 record and the the best point differential (+8.1) in the NBA.
Kevin Durant has embraced the responsibility of assuming some of Harden's play-making duties, averaging 4.5 assists a game, 1.6 higher than his career average. Former Rocket Kevin Martin, meanwhile, has thrived in Harden's role as a sixth man, averaging 16 points on 45 percent shooting, including an eye-popping 49 percent from beyond the arc.
Watch Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder live stream, click here.
(**Sports World Report does not endorse the live streaming of the games of the sites it has linked to. It has no control over the content of the website and thus does not warrant that it is error or virus free or free of other harmful components.)
