![LaMarcus Aldridge helped lead the Spurs to victory with Kawhi Leonard out. [Image via Blasting News image library/mysanantonio.com]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/5/12/660x290/b_502x220x82/lamarcus-aldridge-helped-lead-the-spurs-to-victory-with-kawhi-leonard-out-image-via-blasting-news-image-librarymysanantoniocom_1323543.jpg "LaMarcus Aldridge helped lead the Spurs to victory with Kawhi Leonard out. [Image via Blasting News image library/mysanantonio.com]")
The Houston Rockets were faced with an intriguing situation on Thursday night as they hosted the San Antonio Spurs in a "must-win" game. The Spurs would be without their top star, Kawhi Leonard, as Houston would have home court advantage. However, neither of those aspects made much difference at all to Gregg Popovich's latest Spurs team. San Antonio dominated this close-out game and ended up with an 114-75 victory, without Leonard to lead the way. Here's a look at how they got it done to move on to the Western Conference Finals.
How the Spurs got the win
With no Leonard in the lineup, San Antonio needed to get contributions from elsewhere. Big man LaMarcus Aldridge carried a good bit of the load, finishing with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Pau Gasol also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with five assists and three blocks. Jonathan Simmons put in a good night's work as he had 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Also, Patty Mills filled in at point guard again and had 14 points along with seven assists.
As a team, the Spurs shot 53.1 percent from the floor, on the road. They held the Rockets to a dismal 28.6 percent and their leading scorer, James Harden, to just 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting. Trevor Ariza had the most points of any Rockets' player, finishing with 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting and 5-for-8 three-point shooting.
Clint Capela had a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards.
The Rockets' 39-point loss tonight was the third-largest home loss for a team when facing elimination during NBA Playoff history. Also, the record for teams facing elimination at home this postseason is a 0-10 mark, so far.
What's up next
An impressive season and NBA Playoffs run is now officially over for the Houston Rockets.
The team now waits to see whether or not James Harden will win the NBA MVP Award. Whether he claims the achievement or not, this team guided by Mike D'Antonio came a long way this past season and defied expectations. With their talented roster, it seems like they could be amongst the top three in the Western Conference again next season if they can keep this lineup intact.
As for the San Antonio Spurs, tonight's big win moves them on to the matchup everyone expected. It will be the Spurs against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. The first game of this series gets started on Sunday, May 14th at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. ABC will handle the live telecast of the game for United States viewers.
