NBA: Rockets hold on, avoid elimination by the Thunder

The Houston Rockets went without a score in the final 2:20 of the game, but they had enough to hang on for the 105-103 win, Monday at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, to keep them alive in their Western Conference quarterfinals playoffs series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder had won the first three games, 120-91, 105-102, and 104-101 and were looking to sweep their opponents, but the Rockets were able to fend off their foes thanks in part to a referee's decision to wipe out a Derek Fisher triple in the fourth quarter, ruling it to have come after the 24-second shot clock went off.

The Rockets got off to an early 29-24 first quarter lead, behind 17 from Chandler Parson and Francisco Garcia, starting in place of the injured Jeremy Lin. The duo combined to go 5-of-6 from downtown, as the home team were able to survive a three-miss, three-turnover start from marquee star James Harden.

The second period though was all about Kevin Durant, who dropped 11 markers, along with 10 from Kevin Martin, to turn the tables on Houston, giving the Thunder a 60-53 lead at the break. Martin had canned a triple with 1:13 left in the period, putting OKC up 58-45, but the Rockets managed an 8-2 run before the halftime buzzer, to slice their deficit to single-digits going into the intermission.

In the third, Patrick Beverly scored five straight to knot the game at 68-all, 7:07 left in the quarter. Two deadlocks later, a 12-2 run by Houston saw them go up by 10, 85-75 though a triple by Thabo Sefolosha and four from Durant got their tally under 10 before the start of the fourth period, 91-84, similar to what the Rockets had accomplished a quarter earlier.

The final canto saw the Thunder get within a deuce, 100-98, thanks to an 8-2 run highlighted by a dunk and a triple from Reggie Jackson, 4:54 left in the game. Back-to-back lay-ups by Patrick Beverly and Chandler Parsons gave the home team some breathing room, 104-98, then veteran Derek Fisher's attempt to halve their deficit was ruled to have been a shot clock violation, rendering his made triple void.

A split at the line by Parsons made it a seven-point lead for Houston, 105-98, but Kevin Durant shook off an offensive foul call for five markers, making it a two-point game anew, 105-103, 1:13 remaining.

Off a Rockets timeout, Harden missed on a triple, but they got it back after Durant was called for yet another offensive foul, his fifth personal and seventh turnover of the game.

Harden couldn't make his former club pay though, missing a step-back jumper. The Thunder snatched the rebound and sued for time, but Reggie Jackson's attempt with 2.4 seconds was no good. Serge Ibaka grabbed the offensive board however his potential game-tying put-back also missed, to preserve the Houston win.

Chandler Parsons made up for a so-so performance from Harden and Lin's absence, as the forward notched a team-best 27 points, and narrowly missed a triple-double, adding 10 boards and eight dimes in 41 minutes of action.

Patrick Beverly produced 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. James Harden scored 15 and came up with five steals, but missed eight shots and turned the ball over 10 times, while Omer Asik produced a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds.

The Thunder got 38 points from Kevin Durant on 12-of-16 shooting, plus eight rebounds and six assists. Tempering his performance was a team-high seven turnovers.

Reggie Jackson added 18 markers on 18 attempts, Kevin Martin dropped 16 off the bench, while Derek Fisher made four treys.

Houston doubled up on their foes in points-in-the-paint, getting 44 to the Thunder's 22. They also scored 17 fast break points, compared to just nine by OKC. - AMD, GMA News