Wednesday is win or go-home time for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Rockets took care of business first, defeating the Golden State Warriors 131-116 to force a Game 6. Houston jumped out to a 40-26 lead after the first quarter and held on for the crucial victory, even after Golden State’s bench made it a 13-point game with 5:01 left.
Fred VanVleet led the Rockets with 26 points, while Amen Thompson had 25 points and five steals, becoming the first player with 25 points, 5 steals and 3 blocks in a playoff game since Charles Barkley in 1993.
Moses Moody led the Warriors with 19 points. Stephen Curry had just 13 points, the fewest by Curry in a series-clinching opportunity in his career. Game 6 will be Friday at Chase Center.
In the second matchup, the Timberwolves are coming off a 116-113 win against the Lakers, powered by Anthony Edwards scoring 43 points. Minnesota was down 94-84 going into the fourth quarter, but it found a second gear defensively, limiting the Lakers to 19 points in the concluding frame. The Lakers have faded in the stretch in this series. They’ve been outscored in all four fourth quarters by a total of 105-69.
In Game 4, head coach JJ Redick used the same five players in the entire second half: LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith. According to Elias Sports Bureau, entering Sunday, no team since 1997-98 had played only the same five players in a full half of a playoff game.
Can the Timberwolves close things out? Follow along with all the live action right here.
