By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Kevin Durant left with a right calf strain, but the Golden State Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets, 104-99, at the Oracle Arena on Wednesday for a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference Semifinal best-of-seven series. Klay Thompson dropped 27 points and Stephen Curry 25, Durant finished with 22.
The hosts didn’t hold on to their 20-point advantage, but Draymond Green hit a clutch three before his sixth foul and Thompson followed with his fifth triple of the night for the 97-89 lead down the stretch. James Harden finished with 31 points, but wasn’t enough for the Texans.
Swede Jonas Jerebko notched three points and one board in five minutes for the winning side. Fellow European Clint Capela ended up with six points, 14 rebounds and one assist for the Rockets, but Isaiah Hartenstein didn’t get any action in Game 5.