Spurs roll over Rockets, into conference finals

[May 12, 2017]  HOUSTON -- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was effusive in his praise of the man who stewarded the opposition Thursday night because he is respectful and tactful.

However, in the aftermath of yet another postseason loss to Popovich and the Spurs, Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni had cause to feel abjectly disheartened.

LaMarcus Aldridge paced a balanced and breathtaking offensive effort, and the short-handed Spurs rolled into the Western Conference finals with a 114-75 dismantling of the Rockets on Thursday night at Toyota Center.

The Spurs claimed the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal in six games by blitzing the Rockets despite the absence of Tony Parker (torn left quadriceps) and Kawhi Leonard (sore left ankle).

Aldridge was the linchpin, posting 34 points and 12 rebounds, but he had plenty of help as the second-seeded Spurs set a date opposite top-seeded Golden State. The Warriors are the two-time defending Western Conference champions.

"Everybody picked it up," Popovich said. "Four, five, six guys all had good games. It wasn't one guy scoring 40 or anything like that.

"Everybody contributed. It was a real team effort with (32) assists and just (seven) turnovers. They played well at the offensive ends with a lot of sets, and at the defensive end it was one of our best nights as far as scrambling around trying to keep up with these guys."

Jonathon Simmons added 18 points in place of Leonard, while Patty Mills chipped in 14 points and seven assists. Pau Gasol paired 10 points with 11 boards for San Antonio.

Not only were the Rockets a sieve defensively, allowing the Spurs to shoot 53.1 percent, but they were helpless on the boards and inept on offense. San Antonio compiled a 60-37 rebounding edge and limited Houston to 28.6 percent shooting.

"For whatever reason, this game we didn't have the juice and the stuff," said D'Antoni, who fell to 0-5 in postseason series against Popovich and San Antonio. "It was right across the board, so we'll figure that out and get better this summer and then come back and do it again."

Rockets guard James Harden, a leading candidate for league MVP honors, was a surprising nonfactor as Houston faced elimination.

Harden, who finished second in scoring during the regular season at 29.1 points per game, did not attempt a shot until the 6:19 mark of the second quarter. He closed the first half with as many points as turnovers (five), and his two shot attempts at the intermission were fewer than 15 of the 16 players who participated in the half.

"They did a really good job of crowding and showing bodies, their bigs at the rim," Harden said of his lack of verve. "I couldn't get a rhythm, especially to the basket. Pau did a really good job of using his length at the rim. Hat's off to them."

Spurs center Pau Gasol (16) dribbles the ball as Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Harden finished with 10 points on 2-of-11 shooting with seven assists and six turnovers before fouling out with 3:15 remaining. Trevor Ariza paced Houston with 20 points, and Clint Capela had 15 points and 12 boards.

Leading 31-24 entering the second, the Spurs levied the knockout blow with a 19-3 run fueled largely by reserves. While Mills and Simmons -- starters by default because of injuries -- were on the court, they were flanked by David Lee, Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson during a 13-0 run that extended the lead to 44-26.

When the Spurs opened the second half with an 8-1 burst sparked by six points from Aldridge, their advantage ballooned to 26 points. San Antonio led by as many as 42 points in the second half, administering a beating so thorough that it chased the partisan crowd to the exits well before the final horn. The Spurs have thrived in countless situations, but this effort, given the circumstances, resonated.

"Kawhi is a great player, but we have guys that are ready to play and the organization works these guys out every day," Aldridge said. "Every guy on the team puts in extra time to be ready to play. I wasn't worried about those guys being in. Just having guys ready to play and having those guys work hard all year it makes it a little bit easier for us, for sure."

NOTES: Spurs F Kawhi Leonard hopes to return to action Sunday for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals at Golden State, but G Tony Parker will miss the remainder of the playoffs. ... The Rockets had been 3-0 against San Antonio in postseason series, winning in the first round in 1980, the conference semifinals in 1981, and the conference finals in 1995. ... The Spurs improved to 16-3 when taking a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series. ... Houston fell to 7-5 when facing elimination since G James Harden joined the franchise in 2012-13.

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