Spurs hold off Rockets in overtime
SAN ANTONIO — Danny Green scored seven of his 16 points in overtime, and the San Antonio Spurs overcame an injury to Kawhi Leonard to beat James Harden and the Houston Rockets 110-107 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Leonard had 22 points and 15 rebounds in 38 minutes before exiting with an injured right ankle. Leonard stepped on Harden’s foot with 5:37 left in the third quarter and then played limited minutes before sitting out overtime.
Harden had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He had a chance at a potential tying three-pointer in the final seconds of OT but was
blocked from behind by Manu Ginobili.
Game 6 is Thursday in Houston.
Each team stalled at the start of the extra period. Patrick Beverley made a three-pointer with 2 minutes remaining for the first points of the period, giving Houston a 104-101 lead.
Green made a goahead three-pointer and converted a three-point play to make it 109-107 Spurs with 30.1 seconds left. He also made a free throw down the stretch to help San Antonio hold on.
Two questionable plays closed regulation with the score tied at 101.
Harden was whistled for a charge after dribbling all but a few seconds off the shot clock before driving to the basket on Jonathon Simmons. The Spurs failed to take a shot on their final possession, with Patty Mills banking in a three-pointer after time expired.
Harden also played solid defense, helping hold Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge to 15-of-42 shooting as he rotated assignments in Houston’s smaller lineup. But he finished with nine turnovers.
With the Rockets leading 82-81, officials ruled
a ball out of bounds on the Spurs that replays showed was actually off Harden. Beverley made a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, prompting San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich to scream and point at official Derrick Stafford.
The play ignited what had been a listless San Antonio team, leading to a 10-2 run bridging the third and fourth quarters for a 92-87 lead.
The Spurs tried to exploit a size advantage over the Rockets’ small lineup early, especially when Harden was guarding either Aldridge and Pau Gasol. The Spurs’ big men only managed 2-of-5 shooting in the opening three minutes, leading San Antonio to abandon the strategy midway through the first quarter and sub Simmons for Gasol.
Simmons responded by scoring 10 points on 5-of-13 shooting in 26 minutes.
Entering Game 5, the series had featured Houston victories by 27 and 21, while the Spurs took the two games in between by 25 and 11. That was nothing like the type of basketball they played against each other during the season series, when the Spurs outscored the Rockets by an average of 104.8102.8 while winning by six, two and two.