In the two games the Oklahoma City Thunder have been without Russell Westbrook, the Houston Rockets have managed to stay competitive, nearly winning both. They managed to earn a two point victory in Game 4, thanks to a missed layup from Serge Ibaka at the buzzer.

It was pretty clear that the Rockets wanted anyone but Kevin Durant to take the final shot for Oklahoma City, and they were successful in getting the ball out of his hands on the final possession. Reggie Jackson, Westbrook's replacement, instead went to the bucket and found Ibaka underneath the hoop, who was unable to convert a shot he makes 99 times out of 100.

In the grand scheme of things, this game is pretty meaningless, as the Thunder will probably take care of Houston in Game 5 in OKC. But for them to have such a good chance to send the game to overtime and fail to do so gives the Rockets a glimmer of hope, one that they could end up taking advantage of by making the series competitive again.

Just remember: if the Rockets can upset the Thunder in Game 5, they have a Game 6 at home. If they can win that and send it to a Game 7, anything is possible.

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