Rockets advance after outlasting Dallas

(The Sports Xchange) – James Harden and Terrence Jones combined on a series of backbreaking plays to lift the Houston Rockets to a 103-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center, clinching their Western Conference first-round series in five games.

James Harden
James Harden

The pair got to work when Houston were clinging to a 94-89 lead with 2:39 remaining and Harden buried a three-pointer. He added a steal on defense, pushed the ball up court, and fed Jones for a dunk that bumped the advantage to eight points.

Jones added another transition dunk with 51.7 seconds to play, this one off a length-of-the-court pass from Harden, to help complete a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven series.

Harden finished with 28 points and eight assists while Jones added 15 points, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter.

Rockets center Dwight Howard added 18 points, 19 rebounds and four blocks, while Josh Smith chipped in 20 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Mavericks guard Monta Ellis paced Dallas with 25 points and seven assists, while forward Dirk Nowitzki added 22 points and 14 boards. Forward Al-Farouq Aminu had 14 points and nine rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

The Rockets will face the winner of the San Antonio Spurs-Los Angeles Clippers series in the Western Conference semi-finals.

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Spurs 111, Clippers 107

Forward Tim Duncan scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs held off the Los Angeles Clippers in a 111-107 thriller to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference first-round series at Staples Center.

San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard added 18 points, including two clutch free throws to seal the win with 1.2 seconds left. Leonard also had nine rebounds.

The Spurs can close out the series with a victory in Game 6 on Thursday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

The Clippers missed a chance to win it down the stretch. Forward Blake Griffin, who finished with 30 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, missed a runner in the lane, and center DeAndre Jordan’s tip-in was wiped off because of basket interference with 4.3 seconds remaining and the Clippers trailing 108-107. The officials confirmed the call on a review.

Guard Danny Green hit one of two foul shots with 4.1 seconds left, giving the Spurs a 109-107 lead, but Leonard rebounded the second miss and was fouled with 1.2 seconds left. He hit both free throws to clinch the decision, putting the Clippers on the brink of elimination.

Jordan finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds, and point guard Chris Paul scored 19 points and recorded 10 assists, but it wasn’t enough for Los Angeles.