The Utah Jazz came back from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter, but the Houston Rockets stepped up and earned the win at home (100-93) to qualify for the Western Conference semi-finals.
The Rockets took a 12-point lead in the third quarter (56-44), but the Jazz turned things around and tied the game twice (75-75, 80-80). After that, it was an one possession game (86-87, 93-94), but Houston closed the match on a 6-0 run to seal the deal and win the series (4-1).
James Harden (26 points), Clint Capela (16 points), Eric Gordon (15 points) and Chris Paul (15 points) combined for 72 of the winners’ 100 points.
Royce O’Neale had a team-high 18 points for the losing squad, with Ricky Rubio posting a double-double (17 points, 11 assists).
Houston will face either the Golden State Warriors or the LA Clippers in the semi-finals. The Warriors are up 3-2 in the series.
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*Yiannis Bouranis is an affiliate partner of ESPN and is being compensated for the use of ESPN+ affiliate links. The opinions expressed in his posts are his own.
