[1] Golden State Warriors 114-81 [8] Houston Rockets (Golden State clinch series 4-1)
Prior to Game 5, veteran backup point guard for the Houston Rockets Jason Terry guaranteed a win for his team in the next game but his team’s performance in Game 5 was worthy of anything but that. The Rockets were blown out of Oracle Arena by 33 points and as a result were eliminated by the defending champions from the 2016 Playoffs. It’s the Warriors’ third Conference Semifinals appearance in the last four years.
Multiple Warriors like Shaun Livingston (16 points, 7-8 FG’s), Draymond Green (15 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists) and Klay Thompson (27 points, 10-14 FG’s) stepped up to contribute in the absence of Stephen Curry. Thompson with his seven three’s for the game became the first player in NBA Playoffs history to have back to back games with seven threes.
James Harden was the only Rockets player who decided to show up in the elimination game. ‘The Beard’ contributed for 27 points (scored 25) of the team's 37 first half points. Here’s an insight into his team’s performance:
While his team’s stats were as compiled above, Harden scored 25 points in the half on 8 of 10 shooting and 7 of 7 from the free throw line. He dropped his most efficient stat line for Houston in their last game. However, it made absolutely no impact on the game because his team was miserable while Golden State was playing with a purpose.
The Warriors now await the winner of the series between Portland Trailblazers and Los Angeles Clippers.
[3] Miami Heat 88-90 [6] Charlotte Hornets (Charlotte leads series 3-2)
Marvin Williams scored a team-high 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting and Courtney Lee knocked down a clutch game-winning three to help the Charlotte Hornets win Game 5 in Miami and take a 3-2 series lead. The win was the Hornets’ first road playoff victory since 2002, it’s also their first 3-2 series lead since the Conference Semifinals of 2001.
In the last two games in Miami – Games 1 & 2, the Heat scored 123 and 115 points respectively on the back of hot team shooting nights. The same can’t be said about Game 5. The team shot 42% from the field and 27.8% from beyond the arc, far lower than the 50%+ shooting they had in those two games.
Miami had all of its five starters score in double figures led by 25 points from Dwyane Wade. Center Hassan Whiteside did his thing and dominated the paint with his 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots.
Both teams used short 9 man rotations and in that duel the Charlotte bench came out on top, outscoring their counterparts 29-13 and making the difference.
Game 6 will be played at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte on Friday.
[4] Los Angeles Clippers 98-108 [5] Portland Trailblazers [Portland leads series 3-2]
Damian Lillard scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Portland Trailblazers pulled away late and took a 3-2 series lead over the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers. In the absence of injured Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the Clippers fielded a starting five that had logged just four minutes together in the regular season.
Credit, however, must be given to Doc River’s men as the Clippers never gave up and had tied the scores through three-quarters. However, the game was tied because Portland failed to put the hammer down, which they did in the final period behind Lillard’s outburst.
Here’s a detailed stat analysis of Lillard’s fourth quarter:
Clippers needed players like Redick and Crawford to step up and make up for the absence of Paul and Griffin. Although Redick and Crawford had a combined 36 points, it came at a low combined shooting percentage of 32.5%.
Both teams had six players score in double figures but the Blazers were a lot more efficient and productive. For the Blazers, Maurice Harkless had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Mason Plumlee filled up the stat sheet once again with his 10 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Lillard’s back-court mate and the league’s Most Improved Player C.J.McCollum scored a game-high 27 points on 50% shooting.
Game 6 will be played on Friday at the Moda Center in Portland.
