Rockets eliminate Thunder
Oklahoma City falls despite 47 points from Westbrook.
J a me s Ha rd e n h a d 3 4 points and his supporting cast helped the host Houston Rockets overcome a 47-point game by Russell Westbrook to get a 105-99 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.
The Thunder head home a year after advancing to the Western C onference finals after Houston took this series 4-1.
The Rockets used a 5-1 run, with all their points coming on free throws, to pull away from the Thunder and make it 98-91. Victor Oladipo threw a pass about 5 feet above Westbrook’s head and out of bounds on the next possession and Harden made a layup on the other end with about 3 minutes left.
The Rockets began eating up the clock after that and Oklahoma City missed shot after shot that could have closed the gap.
S p u r s 1 1 6 , G r i z z l i e s 103: Kawhi Leonard had 28 points as host San Antonio rebounded from t wo road losses to defeat Memphis and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.
San Antonio shot 14 for 28 on 3-point attempts, two off its postseason record, including 5-for-7 shooting by Patty Mills.
Mi l l s f i n i s h e d wi t h 2 0 p o i n t s a n d To ny P a r ke r added 16.
Mike Conley had 26 points and Marc Gasol added 17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost nine straight postseason games in San Antonio.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Memphis.
Time off for Warriors
The Warriors can breathe for a bit after a first-round series filled with drama.
With a sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State now awaits the conclusion of the series between the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers.
The Warriors wil l a l s o await word on coach Steve Kerr’s health — with the short break perhaps providing more clarit y about when he can rejoin the team. Kerr missed the past two games after symptoms from his back surgery two years ago suddenly flared up.
T h e 5 1 -ye a r- o l d c o a c h was in obvious discomfort j ust before t he t e am l ef t for the two games at Portland’s Moda Center. It was a n n o u n c e d a f e w h o u r s before Game 3 that he would stay back at the team hotel. Assistant Mike Brown, who has plenty of head coaching experience, took over.
Late Monday: Paul Millsap bounced back from a sluggish start to score 19 points, Dwight Howard had his best game of the postseason, and host Atlanta pulled away from Washington in a 111101 win to even the opening-round series at 2.
NBA awards show: Canadian rapper Drake will host the NBA’s first season awards show. The June 26 ceremony in New York will be televised live on TNT.