Jazz a victory away from series against Warriors
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, Utah controlled the paint, and the Jazz beat the Clippers 96-92 in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.
Hayward returned after missing most of Utah’s win in Game 4 because of food poisoning that caused him to lose weight and energy.
Chris Paul’s three-pointer cut the Clippers’ deficit to two with five seconds left. After George Hill hit two foul shots, Paul struggled getting the ball under control near the sideline and couldn’t do anything as time expired.
The Jazz made five threepointers in the fourth quarter, including three by Rodney Hood, who finished with 16 points.
Paul led the Clippers with 28 points and J.J. Redick added 26 with injured forward Blake Griffin watching from the bench, his right foot encased in a black walking boot.
The Jazz can clinch the series with a victory in Game 6 on Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Neither team shot well, but the Jazz were better at most everything else. They owned a 34-28 edge in the paint, and the team that has done so has won each of the first five games in the best-of-seven series. Utah also outscored the Clippers on second-chance and fast-break baskets.
Utah took the game’s first double-digit lead early in the fourth on a three-pointer by Hood that made it 69-58.
The Clippers clawed back with an 11-0 run featuring five straight free throws by Redick and two consecutive threepointers from Paul that tied the game 69-69.
The Jazz regrouped to take a 77-69 lead. They ran off eight straight, capped by Haywood’s three-pointer after the Clippers’ defense shut down Hill inside and forced him to pass to the perimeter with the shot clock winding down.
Spurs 116, Grizzlies 103: Kawhi Leonard had 28 points and host San Antonio rebounded from two road losses to beat Memphis and take a 3-2 lead in their first-round series. San Antonio shot 14-for-28 on threepoint attempts, including 5-for-7 by Patty Mills. Mills finished with 20 points and Tony Parker added 16. Mike Conley had 26 points and Marc Gasol 17 for the Grizzlies, who have lost nine straight postseason games in San Antonio. With each team winning on its home court, Game 6 is Thursday night in Memphis.
Rockets 105, Thunder 99: James Harden had 34 points and his supporting cast helped host Houston overcome a 47-point game by Russell Westbrook to win Game 5 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals. 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. Westbrook had 11 rebounds and nine assists to come just shy of his fourth straight triple-double in this series, but he made only 5 of a career-high 18 three-point attempts.