NBA roundup: Warriors eliminate Rockets

[April 28, 2016]  The Sports Xchange
 
 OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors didn't skip a beat without star point guard Stephen Curry, routing the Houston Rockets 114-81 Wednesday night to finish off a 4-1 triumph in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The defending NBA champs will move on to face either the Portland Trail Blazers or Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors almost surely will be without Curry for most, if not all, of the second-round series after he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Game 4 against the Rockets on Sunday.

Klay Thompson led Golden State with 27 points. Veteran Shaun Livingston stepped into Curry's starting role and contributed 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting.

Ten of Livingston's points came on 4-for-4 shooting and a pair of free throws in the first quarter, during which the Warriors scored the first eight points and suffocated every Rocket not named James Harden en route to a 37-20 lead. Harden had 18 points in the quarter en route to a game-high 35.

Hornets 90, Heat 88

MIAMI -- Courtney Lee hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining, and Charlotte earned a victory over Miami to take a 3-2 lead in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

With the Hornets trailing 88-87 in the final minute, Charlotte guard Kemba Walker missed a jumper. But -- for the second game in a row -- Lee came up with a huge offensive rebound. This time, Lee went right back up, hitting his game-deciding 3-pointer.

Marvin Williams led Charlotte with 17 points. The Hornets also got 14 points each from Al Jefferson and Walker. Lee had eight points as Charlotte won its third straight game in the series.

Dwyane Wade had a game-high 25 points, but he missed a shot on a drive to the basket with 2.6 seconds left that could have tied the score on Miami's final possession. Lee blocked Wade's shot from behind, and Wade complained he was fouled -- to no avail.

Trail Blazers 108, Clippers 98

LOS ANGELES -- CJ McCollum had 27 points, and Damian Lillard scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as Portland earned a victory over short-handed Los Angeles to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference quarterfinal matchup.

Maurice Harkless contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds, Allen Crabbe added 11 points, and Mason Plumlee and Gerald Henderson chipped in 10 apiece for Portland. Plumlee also grabbed 15 rebounds.

J.J. Redick had 19 points, while Jamal Crawford scored 17 for the Clippers, who played their first game of the series without Blake Griffin (partially torn left quad tendon) and Chris Paul (fractured right hand). Both of the stars were injured Monday in the Clippers' Game 4 loss at Portland. DeAndre Jordan collected 16 points and 17 rebounds for Los Angeles.

-----------------------------------------------

[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.