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OKLAHOMA CITY -- With James Harden battling an injured ankle and unable to attack the rim the way he had in the first three games of the series, the Houston Rockets needed someone else to be a force near the basket in Game 4. That was Nene.
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The Rockets' reserve center had 28 points and 10 rebounds, making all 12 of his field-goal tries, in Houston's 113-109 win over Oklahoma City at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday.
"It was kind of a man's game, and he's a man," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He was unbelievable in all facets. That's Nene."
The Rockets lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday in Houston.
Nene's 12-for-12 performance tied the NBA playoff record for most field goals without a miss.
The biggest shot from Nene came in the closing seconds when, with Houston up one, the Thunder failed to foul until Trevor Ariza fed Nene under the basket. Nene was able to complete the layup while being fouled by Jerami Grant.
Nene hit the free throw to keep it a two-possession game, all but putting the game away.
"If he could've maybe have wrapped him up and prevented him from even getting the shot up, that would've certainly been helpful," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said of Grant. "It would've forced him to make two free throws. I don't think what you want to do in that situation is give him an and-one. You're better off just letting him go in if you don't feel like you can wrap him up. It's still a three-point game and we can call a timeout."
Harden had 16 points and was shot 5 of 16 from the floor, missing all seven of his 3-point attempts.
"That's what a team is for," Harden said. "I believe and trust in these guys all year long. We say every game that it's not just going to be one guy that wins us games. Different nights, different guys step up, and that was the case tonight."
While Houston was able to find a way to thrive with its star limited, the Thunder couldn't find a way to produce when its star had to head to the bench or when he struggled.
Russell Westbrook finished with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists for his third consecutive triple-double in the series.
The Thunder were outscored by 17 points without Westbrook on the floor, but after the game, Westbrook shot down a question to teammate Steven Adams about his team's ineffectiveness once Westbrook heads to the bench.
"I don't want nobody to try to split us up. We're all one team," Westbrook said. "If I go to the bench and Steven's on the floor and I'm off the floor, we're in this together. Don't split us up. Don't try to split us up, try to make us go against each other, try to make it Russell and the rest of the guys, Russell against Houston. I don't want to hear that."
Houston's bench outscored Oklahoma City's reserves 64-22.
Westbrook finished off the triple-double before halftime, grabbing the rebound off Harden's missed 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer for his 10th rebound.
Only Wilt Chamberlain, who had four consecutive triple-doubles in the 1967 playoffs, had ever recorded three consecutive playoff triple-doubles.
Westbrook hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter but missed three in the final 35 seconds, twice appearing to lean into defenders to try to draw the foul.
It didn't work, and the Rockets head back home with a chance to finish off the series.
"We've got to be ready from the go and just basically carry over the energy and the focus level that we had to finish this game off into Game 5," Harden said. "They're going to give us their best shot."
NOTES: Houston C Nene's 12-for-12 field-goal performance tied the playoff record set by Kansas City-Omaha Kings F/C Larry McNeill, who was 12-for-12 in a 1975 game. ... Rockets G Patrick Beverley was fined $25,000 Sunday for confronting a fan at Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena following Friday's Game 2. Beverley landed at the fan's feet in the first half of that game while attempting a layup and had a brief verbal altercation with him at that time. Beverley came back to confront the fan after the game. ... Houston SG Eric Gordon was called for a technical foul in the second quarter after arguing for a foul after a made layup. ... The Western Conference semifinal between the winner of the Rockets-Thunder series and the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Memphis Grizzlies series will begin May 1, the NBA announced.
