Western Conference Semi Finals: Spurs fend off Rockets, win 4-0.
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| All too familiar, Harden & Leonard squared off. |
Game 1 was filled with foul trouble for Kawhi Leonard, but Skal Labissiere took up the mantle and had himself a clutch performance - his first in the post season - dominating this game with 26 points and especially five 3PTers, showcasing nice range for a big man. It was 71-77 heading into the fourth quarter, after Austin Rivers got hot off the bench. Avery Bradley dished the ball to Gay for the easy dunk and then Joakim Noah blocked James Harden at the basket. Bradley swiped the ball free toward Kawhi Leonard for the four-point play on the wing.
Clint Capela dunked it home, but Harden missed a 3PT shot and Shumpert closed it out at the free throw line, as the Spurs won 103-107. Rudy Gay had 17 points, Leonard had 16 with 5 steals. Patty Mills scored 15, Shump 10, Gasol nine and Murray 7 with 9 assists. Clint Capela had 19 points and 19 rebounds for Houston with 3 blocks; James Harden had a tough 15 points on 4-13 and 2-7 from 3PT range. Chris Paul looked good as the ball handler, but had just 14 points with 9 assists. Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers made it interesting, combining for 26 points.
Game 2 had Houston up 32-28 after one as the Spurs got cold, down 59-49 at halftime. The Spurs had a familiar comeback in the third quarter, courtesy of Patty Mills catching fire from the perimeter. 71-70, all of a sudden, the Rockets only leading by three 92-89 into the final period. Rudy Gay dropped a clutch 3PT bomb as did Patty Mills. Leonard, meanwhile, dominated at the basket on fearless driving opportunities. Avery Bradley proved his worth with a key steal to give the Spurs a ten-point lead. The Rockets took a timeout at the 3-Minute mark. The corner 3PTer by CP3 cut the lead down to two in quick fashion, but Mills made it 116-111. Leonard blocked Harden at the rim, and then Noah blocked PJ Tucker. Leonard made a circus layup for the 113-118 lead. Clint Capela got a nice alley oop by Paul, but Noah stayed behind for the easy dunk on the other end, 115-120: Spurs.
Eric Gordon made a clutch and-1 layup, followed by a misfire by Patty Mills, then Harden tied the game at the free throw line. The Spurs called timeout and the Australian Dead-Eye was gifted a perfect screen by Noah, splashing in the game-winning 3PT dagger. Eric Gordon's backdoor layup was swatted away by Rudy Gay and Chris Paul missed a final heave after a mad scramble for the loose ball, 120-123: Spurs.
Patty Mills made nine 3PT shots in this game for a huge 37 points and 6 assists. Kawhi Leonard scored 26 points with 7 rebounds, 3 steals. Rudy Gay finished strong with 23 points and 8 rebounds, going 9-11 overall. Dejounte Murray had a nice 16 points and 9 assists. In the narrow defeat, Eric Gordon had 23 points; Capela with 21 points, 21 rebounds and 4 blocks. PJ Tucker had 19 points. Gerald Green contributed 14 points. James Harden could have been the difference maker, but came up short with just 3-11 shooting and 3-9 from 3PT range. Kenneth Faried had 9 rebounds and Chris Paul dished 12 assists on only 10 points of his own. The Rockets fired 45 shots from long range, making just 15 overall and two more than San Antonio. They also got dominated down low, same as in Game 1, but did manage 20 offensive rebounds.
Game 3 saw the Rockets go down by too large a margin to overcome with the Spurs scoring 67 points in the first half, winning 128-111 behind Rudy Gay's 27 points. He shot 11-15, and 3-4 from deep. Kawhi was not far behind with 21 points, with 2 steals. Avery Bradley notched 17 points with 6 assists. Dejounte Murray flirted with a triple-double of 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Patty Mills scored 13 and Shumpert/Gasol combined for 20 on the night. James Harden scored 29 in this one, but went just 3-9 from long range. Kenneth Faried scored 13 behind Harden, not a good sign as Houston made only eight 3PT shots. Capela had 12 points, 13 rebounds. Chris Paul still managed 15 assists, but only 11 points.
Game 4 was merely more of the same - despite returning home to the Toyota Center, the Rockets were held to under 100 points in the shut-out contest, their season over at the final mark of 119-98. Harden dropped 24 points, going 4-10 from deep and PJ Tucker had 15. Capela hoisted 19 rebounds with 13 points, but Chris Paul had just 8 points with 6 assists. Eric Gordon was particularly cold on 5-13 from the floor. The Spurs hammered their way to the next round with a 38-22 final period of scoring, as Leonard bombed Houston with 38 monstrous points. Dejounte Murray scored 18 with 8 assists. Mills dropped 18: six 3PT blows.