HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets rediscovered their offensive might on Monday night, with the starting backcourt of James Harden and Ty Lawson meeting expectations and delivering accordingly. But it was their defense that left the Rockets raving and buoyed by the final result.

Harden shook off his shooting slump while Lawson enjoyed his best game with his new team as the Rockets rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 110-105 at Toyota Center.

Harden finished with 37 points on 12-of-26 shooting and made more 3-pointers (four) against the Thunder than he did in his first three games combined, with two late misses undermining a solid night.

Lawson, an offseason acquisition from the Denver Nuggets, added 14 points, 11 assists and four steals for Houston (1-3).

But a defensive effort that forced 25 turnovers superseded the offensive fireworks.

"As long as we can stay on the same page defensively," Harden said. "We have so many guys that can get out in transition but if we don't get stops, we're useless in that category. Tonight was about making the extra effort, it was about getting stops, knowing the game plan, knowing who's going to be effective. Making sure we corral those players."

Rockets center Dwight Howard (16 points, eight rebounds, four blocks), maligned for his free-throw shooting, sank two foul shots with 5.7 seconds left to seal the victory. His surprising accuracy came after Thunder forward Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game.

"A lot of positives," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We haven't had many positives this year so far, but that's something to build on."

Durant finished with 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting but also had five turnovers. Guard Russell Westbrook, whose 3-pointer with 44.2 seconds left cut the deficit to three points, added 25 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and seven turnovers for Oklahoma City (3-1).

What the Rockets sorely needed -- some positive momentum -- came in the form of foul trouble for Westbrook. With 9:24 remaining in the third quarter, Westbrook picked up his fourth foul and retreated to the bench.

Trailing 71-57, Houston immediately fashioned a rally, limiting the Thunder to just two field goals over the remainder of the period. The Rockets forced 10 turnovers in the third while simultaneously finding the bottom of the net, with guard Marcus Thornton and Harden drilling consecutive 3-pointers after the Rockets scored three successive baskets at the rim to close within 75-71.

While Oklahoma City scratched together four free throws down the stretch the Rockets kept running, finally reclaiming the lead at 80-79 on a trey from guard Patrick Beverley with 61 seconds left in the third.

"I thought our third quarter was tough," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said. "We only scored 13 points in the quarter and didn't really have a great flow offensively. We had some turnovers that allowed them to get on the break. As a group, we probably needed to perform better in the third quarter than we did."

The Durant/Westbrook tandem was prolific early, turning an early six-point Thunder deficit into a 23-19 lead with 18 consecutive points. By the close of the first, the Thunder had made four of five 3s, a stark contrast to the Rockets' woeful 1-for-9 3-point shooting. The Thunder continued their hot shooting in the second, ending the half 8-for-11 from behind the arc.

Durant and Westbrook entered the break with 33 combined points and the Thunder led 65-54 at halftoime. Harden nailed a trey at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 11 and set the stage for the ensuing rally.

"We had 25 turnovers and we gave up 21 points off those turnovers," Durant said. "That was the game right there."

NOTES: Rockets C Dwight Howard was back in the starting lineup after sitting out Sunday against the Miami Heat as a precaution for his assorted ailments. The Rockets haven't fully committed to resting Howard for one game of every scheduled back-to-back, although that appears to be the plan early in the season. ... Rockets F Terrence Jones missed his second consecutive game with a lacerated right eyelid, an injury he sustained Friday against the Golden State Warriors. ... The Thunder earned high praise for their offensive exploits through the opening week, posting an offensive rating (111.7) that ranked second in the league despite an assist rate (52.6 percent) that was only 24th. ... Thunder first-year coach Billy Donovan got his first live look at Rockets F Corey Brewer, who starred for Donovan at Florida when the Gators won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006-07.