The Houston Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 123-108, in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoffs on Tuesday at Orlando.

The contest got out to a competitive start, but the Rockets pulled away towards the end of the first quarter and took an eight-point lead into the second. They kept the momentum going and pushed their lead to 17, early in the second and up to 21 later in the quarter, before settling on a 16-point lead at halftime. The Thunder came out strong to start the third quarter, but the Rockets kept the upper hand and mounted a run to bring their lead up to 23 points, before the Thunder cut it back to 21, heading into the final frame. The Thunder outscored the Rockets, 25-19, in the fourth but it was hardly enough to make a dent in the difference, as the shorthanded Rockets held on for the 1-0 series lead.

Despite missing Russell Westbrook (quadriceps), the Rockets had no trouble putting points on the board, as Jeff Green stepped up with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Eric Gordon added 21 points, while James Harden led the way with 37 points on 12-of-22 shooting. The Rockets shot 48 percent from the field, including 20-of-52 from deep.

Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari led the Thunder with 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting, three rebounds, three assists and a block, in 33 minutes. Chris Paul followed up with 20 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals, while Steven Adams totaled 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Thunder shot 44 percent from the field, including 13-of-35 from long range.

Game 2 takes place on Thursday.