Highlights of Wednesday's NBA games

[April 20, 2017]  April 19 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of National Basketball Association games on Wednesday:

Rockets 115, Thunder 111

Eric Gordon and Lou Williams caught fire from the perimeter in the fourth quarter and the Houston Rockets erased a 15-point deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 115-111 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook posted a triple-double of 51 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. However, he shot 4 of 18 in the fourth quarter.

Gordon gave the Rockets their first lead with his 3-pointer at the 8:07 mark of the fourth quarter at 96-94. Williams followed with a trey 27 seconds later before James Harden nailed a 3 to push Houston to a 104-100 lead with 5:16 left.

Gordon delivered the decisive shot with 1:48 remaining, drilling a 28-footer off a Harden pass to extend the lead to eight and give Houston a 2-0 series lead. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night in Oklahoma City.

Wizards 109, Hawks 101

John Wall scored 32 points and Bradley Beal had 16 of his 31 in the fourth quarter as Washington outdueled Atlanta to take a 2-0 lead in its Eastern Conference playoff series.

Wall and Beal scored 20 of Washington's final 21 points in the foul-plagued game after the Wizards trailed 89-88 with 6:03 remaining. That included the team's final seven field goals. Beal's layup put Washington up for good at 96-94 and Wall's free throw with 25.8 seconds left capped the decisive 16-4 run and put the Wizards ahead 107-98

Washington won the series opener 114-107 on Sunday. Wall had 32 points and 14 assists as the Wizards scored 69 points in the second half. The series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Saturday. The Wizards have won five in a row over the Hawks.

Paul Millsap had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks. Dennis Schroder scored 23 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. had 19, but Atlanta shot 4 of 20 on 3-pointers and committed 18 turnovers.

Warriors 110, Trail Blazers 81

Golden State tightened the defensive screws with star forward Kevin Durant out of the lineup, limiting Portland to 12 points in a decisive third quarter en route to a run-away victory in Game 2 of their Western Conference series.

The teams will travel to Portland for the next two meetings in the best-of-seven, with the Warriors taking a 2-0 lead into Game 3 on Saturday.

Durant missed the game with what the Warriors have labeled a minor calf strain.

Golden State recorded its 11th straight home win over the Trail Blazers and 12th win in their last 13 meetings, including a 4-1 triumph in last year's Western semifinals.

Stephen Curry had 19 points and backcourt mate Klay Thompson added 16 as the Warriors won easily despite scoring 11 fewer points than in their 121-109 win in Game 1.

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