NBA: Harden the hero, as Rockets survive, snatch game five on the road versus Thunder

James Harden returned to his old stomping grounds and put in his best performance of the series to date, despite battling flu-like symptoms.

Harden led six Rockets in double-digit scoring, as they survived elimination anew and forced a game six, with a 107-100 triumph, Wednesday (Thursday, PHL time) at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, making it a 3-2 quarterfinals series.

The Thunder were on the verge of sweeping this series, taking the first three games, 120-91, 105-102, 104-101, but an in-game injury to point guard Russell Westbrook has robbed the Thunder of a lot of their spark, forcing them to over-rely on Kevin Durant, and the result was a 105-103 win for the Rockets in Houston, prior to this match.

The situation worsened in this game, as despite playing on their home court, the Thunder could only manage three ties and a slim one-point lead, 17-16, on a technical foul free throw by Durant with 5:40 left in the first quarter.

In the second period, a finger roll by Durant knotted the game anew, 36-all, halfway through, but a step-back triple by former Thunder James Harden made it a 50-43 affair at the break, with the Rockets still leading.

After the intermission, Durant put his team on his back, exploding for 18 third-quarter points, but the one-two punch of Patrick Beverly and James Harden was able to best him with 22 markers. A three-pointer by Beverly, followed by a split at the line by Chandler Parsons, then gave Houston their biggest lead to that point, 16 markers, 76-60, with 3:54 remaining.

A late Thunder rally brought that down to seven, 80-73, as Serge Ibaka slammed one home off a DeAndre Liggins pass. However, the Harden-Beverly combo keyed in a 7-2 run to end the quarter, restoring their double-digit lead, 87-75 with 12 minutes left to play.

In the fourth period, back-to-back connections by Reggie Jackson, Westbrook's understudy, put the Thunder within seven anew, 96-89, 5:08 left on the clock. With OKC using the hack-a-Omer Asik strategy, the home team got a point closer a minute later, as Jackson canned a trey that made it 98-92.

However, the descent into a half-court game seemed to have a worse effect on the Thunder than their opponents. Four charities, three from Asik and one from Parsons, brought it back to a double-digit lead, 102-92, 3:03 remaining, following a minute-long scoring drought. Jackson once again ended their dry spell, but two more Asik charities, and a huge triple by Francisco Garcia, closed this one out.

Harden finished with 31 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal in 41 minutes of action. He converted 10-of-16 attempts, and at one point, was a perfect 7-for-7 from downtown.

Center Omer Asik provided some muscle down low, with a 21-point, 11-rebound performance that included a 13-of-18 clip at the foul line. Francisco Garcia added 18 markers, while Patrick Beverly, taking the starting point guard job with Jeremy Lin sidelined with a chest injury, produced 14 points and eight boards.

The Thunder drew 36 points on 11-of-23 shooting from Kevin Durant, who also added seven rebounds, seven assists, a block and a steal. Reggie Jackson chimed in with 20 points, while Serge Ibaka missed a double-double, settling for a 14-point, nine-rebound night.

Three-point shooting was the key in this game, as the Rockets converted 14-of-35 from downtown. At the break, the Thunder were 1-of-12, before rallying in the second half with a 7-of-21 clip.

OKC lost despite getting a 50-34 edge in points in the paint, more assists (20-15) and less turnovers (8-12). - AMD, GMA News