Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James scored 38 points in Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night, while James Harden posted a triple-double to keep the Houston Rockets alive.
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The Rockets faced elimination on Tuesday night, but they responded in emphatic fashion as Harden put up 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to ensure that there would be a Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Dwight Howard added 20 points and 15 rebounds in the lopsided win, with Clippers coach Doc Rivers conceding after the game that their rivals were more focused.
Blake Griffin responded with 30 points and 16 rebounds while Chris Paul added 22 points and 10 assists, but it wasn’t enough for the visitors to wrap up the series and advance to the Western Conference finals.
Instead, they must now regroup and remained focused ahead of Game 6 back in LA which they will hope to win in order to avoid a series-decider back in Houston at the weekend.
What made Harden’s effort even more admirable was that he reportedly shook off illness to produce his best playoff performance to ensure that the Toyota Center crowd were left with some hope moving forward.
Meanwhile, James had 38 points while Kyrie Irving added 25 points as the Cavaliers held off the Bulls in the fourth quarter to claim a huge win to take back control of the series.
Both men supposedly had injuries with James suffering from an ankle injury while Irving had foot and knee problems, but both appeared healthy enough to make an important impact.
Cleveland can now wrap up the series in Chicago on Thursday night, although the hosts will hope to have Pau Gasol back to give it one last push.
NBA Results:
Chicago Bulls 101-106 Cleveland Cavaliers
Los Angeles Clippers 103-124 Houston Rockets
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