Rockets vanquish Thunder in five
San Antonio, Utah go up 3-2 in series
HOUSTON — James Harden had 34 points and his supporting cast helped the 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 heads home a year after advancing to the Western Conference finals after Houston took this series 4-1.
“Everything isn’t always going to be perfect,” Harden said. “You’ve got guys that step up and help you make big plays, always have your back … we’re not worried about our shooting, our shooting is going to come.”
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.
Westbrook had 11 rebounds and nine assists to come just shy of his fourth straight triple-double in this series, but he made just five of a career-high 18 3-point attempts. SPURS 116, GRIZZLIES 103: In San Antonio, Texas, Kawhi Leonard had 28 points as San Antonio rebounded from two discouraging road losses to beat Memphis and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.
Game 6 is set for Friday in Memphis.
San Antonio shot 14-for-28 on 3-point attempts, two off its postseason record, including 5-for-7 shooting by Patty Mills. Mills finished with 20 points and Tony Parker 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.
JAZZ 96, CLIPPERS 92: In Los Angeles, Utah grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series with a victory over LA.
Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 27 points and 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Chris Paul led the Clippers with 28 points, with JJ Redick next with 26.
Game 6 is scheduled for Salt Lake City on Friday, with Game 7 if necessary back in Los Angeles on Sunday.