Harden ‘sinks’ clutch winner as Rockets cut Warriors lead – Thunder, Raptors notch up Game 3 victories

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Raymond Felton #2 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball against Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs  at American Airlines Center on April 21, in Dallas, Texas. (AFP)
Raymond Felton #2 of the Dallas Mavericks dribbles the ball against Steven Adams #12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2016 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 21, in Dallas, Texas. (AFP)

HOUSTON, April 22, (Agencies): The frantic, final moments nearly undermined all the Houston Rockets built in scratching out a double-digit lead, but James Harden took advantage of the disarray by doing what he does best. Harden nailed a step-back jumper with 2.7 seconds left, and the Houston Rockets claimed a 97-96 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game Three of a Western Conference first-round playoff series at Toyota Center on Thursday.

The defending champion Warriors, playing a second consecutive game without All-Star guard Stephen Curry (right ankle sprain), still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game Four set for Sunday at Toyota Center. The Rockets blew a 17-point lead and trailed with 10.6 seconds left after Trevor Ariza threw away an inbounds pass that facilitated a fastbreak layup by Warriors reserve guard Ian Clark.

With Houston out of timeouts, Harden followed with a quick dribble, darted into the lane and spun free before nailing a 10-foot jumper. Warriors forward Draymond Green dribbled the ensuing inbounds pass off his foot and out of bounds for a turnover with one second left. “A lot of people just get nervous and don’t want to be in that situation,” said Harden, who scored a game-high 35 points. “For me, I strive in moments like that, so you just have to have confidence.”

Harden added eight rebounds and nine assists. Donatas Motiejunas produced 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Dwight Howard also recorded a double-double (13 points and 13 rebounds) plus two blocks. Reserve forward Marreese Speights led Golden State with 22 points in 18 minutes. Klay Thompson contributed 17 points and eight rebounds, and Shaun Livingston, who again filled in for Curry, added 16 points.

What Speights started in the second quarter and carried through the third, Livingston picked up in the fourth. Following a pair of Harrison Barnes free throws that sliced the Warriors’ deficit to six points, Livingston added three jumpers, the last with 8:59 left to cut it to 81-80. Despite following that spurt with a three-minute drought, the Warriors hung tough. Trailing 88-80, they rallied with seven consecutive points and later took their first lead since 2-0 when Clark nailed a floater with 1:25 left.

“Well, I’m not really encouraged. This is how we were supposed to play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We should have actually played better. We made too many mistakes.” Golden State surrendered 20 points off 14 turnovers and missed 19-of-25 three-point attempts. The Rockets sought early energy, and already leading 21-15, closed the first period with a 10-3 run.

Thunder 131, Mavericks 102

In Oklahoma, Kevin Durant bounced back from the worst shooting game of his playoff career with 34 points and Oklahoma City retook control of its first-round series with a victory over Dallas. Durant had seven field goals midway through the second quarter on nine shots after he needed 33 to get there in a Game 2 loss that followed a 38-point win in the opener.

The 2014 MVP scored 20 points in the first half, when the Thunder led by as many as 19 points on their way to a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is Saturday night in Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki played despite a right knee bruise and scored 16 points for the Mavericks, who missed 10 of their first 12 shots from 3-point range. Russell Westbrook scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half and had 15 assists.

Raptors 101, Pacers 85

In Indianapolis, DeMar DeRozan rebounded from his postseason shooting slump, and he and Kyle Lowry scored 21 points for Toronto. The Raptors lead the best-of-seven first-round series 2-1 and have reclaimed the home-court advantage they squandered by losing the series opener last weekend. Indiana was led by Paul George, who had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Rookie Myles Turner scored 11 of 17 points in the second half. Game 4 is Saturday night in Indianapolis. DeRozan was 10 of 37 from the field and 0 for 5 from 3-point range through the first two games. On Monday he finished 7 of 19 from the field.

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