The San Antonio Spurs demolished the Houston Rockets 114-75 on the road to win the series 4-2. The Rockets played a terrible basketball in their biggest game of the season, as they left the Toyota Center ashamed and humiliated.
The Spurs destroyed the Rockets without Kawhi Leonard
Both Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard were unavailable for this game and it looked like Houston have a great chance to push the series to the seventh game. But they weren't even close. The good news for the Spurs is that Kawhi Leonard should be ready for the NBA Western Conference finals and the Golden State Warriors.
San Antonio didn't make a difference from behind the arc, as they shot only 5 of 22 from the three point line. But, they were very efficient with other shots, as they hit 46 of 74 two point attempts (62 %). Jonathon Simmons replaced Kawhi Leonard in the starting lineup and finished the game with 18 points and four assists, while shooting 8 of 12 from the field in 31 minutes on the floor. LaMarcus Aldridge had an outstanding game with 34 points and 12 rebounds, as he shot 16 of 26 from the field in 35 minutes of play. Both Pau Gasol and Dejounte Murray added a double-double, as they combined for 21 points, 21 rebounds, ten assists, two steals and four blocks. Gasol had ten points, 11 rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes on the floor, while shooting 5 of 11 from the field.
Murray had a similar stats with 11 points, ten rebounds and five assists, while shooting 5 of 10 from the field in 23 minutes of play. Patty Mills added 14 points and seven assists, while Danny Green scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in the game.
A disastrous night for James Harden
The MVP candidate James Harden had a nightmare game on Thursday night, as he made only two field goals and committed six turnovers.
Harden finished the game with ten points, three rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes on the floor, while shooting 2 of 11 from the field and 2 of 9 from the three point line. He went to the foul line just six times and scored four points from six free throws. Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela were the only two bright spots for the home team.
Ariza had 20 points and five rebounds, while shooting 6 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 from the three point line. Capela posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 3 of 11 from the field and 9 of 14 from the free throw line. Lou Williams, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson combined for a miserable 2 of 12 shooting performancr from the outside, as Anderson finished the game with zero points.
The Rockets took 40 three point attempts and made 13 of them. But the other shots were an even a bigger problem for Houston, as they shot just 9 of 37 from the inside the three point line.
The series between the Spurs and the Warriors will begin on Sunday, at 3:30 pm in Oakland.
