On Tuesday night in game 5 of the western conference semi-finals, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the best of seven series. The game went into a single overtime period with Manu Ginobili delivering a game-winning block shot on Rockets star James Harden, as he attempted a three-point shot to tie the game as time expired. The series will shift back to Houston for game six on Thursday night.
Regulation recap
During the first half of game five on Thursday night, both the Rockets and Spurs played an evenly contested game with the Rockets leading by just two at the end of the first half.
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard continued their MVP like seasons with stellar performances.
Harden ripped through the Spurs defense with his usual tactics by breaking down defenders and stepping back and knocking down his lethal three-point shot. Leonard, on the other hand, didn't put up as many points as James Harden on this one, but he rebounded the ball tenaciously and made hard-earned baskets. However, in the third quarter, Kawhi Leonard was injured after apparently spraining his right ankle.
Spurs coach Greg Popovich made a tough decision to pretty much sit Leonard the rest of the game. With his star on the bench in pain, coach Popovich did what he usually does, and that's coach his team with toughness, which led to them battling and taking the momentum from Houston towards the end of regulation.
The Rockets were then able to send the game into overtime.
Overtime
In overtime, Rockets starting point guard Patrick Beverley, who lost his grandfather just before the start of game 4, hit a big three-point shot to give the Rockets the lead. Then along came the Danny Green show for the San Antonio Spurs.
The starting two-guard for the Spurs who's mostly relied upon for his long range shooting decided to take the game over while scoring his team's last seven points to end overtime.
With a few seconds left and down three, James Harden had a chance to tie the game and send the game into a second overtime.
However, Manu Ginobili, who scored 12 points off the bench for the Spurs in game 5, blocked the shot of Harden as he went up for the attempt. The clock expired, and the Spurs were able to go up 3-2 in what has been a very competitive series.
James Harden finished the game with another triple-double scoring 34 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Game 6
Game 6 will be held on Thursday at 8 pm on channel ESPN in Houston. The Rockets are going to need a strong game from its entire team if they're going to have a chance to return to San Antonio for game 7.
If the Spurs win, then they will move on and face the highly favorited Western Conference champs, the Golden State Warriors, who have swept both of their series so far in the 2017 NBA playoffs. Stay tuned.
