Sports Desk
Florida: James Harden capped a miserable shooting performance with a timely defensive play, and the Houston Rockets held on for a 104-102 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Wednesday near Orlando.
Harden closed out on Thunder guard Luguentz Dort and recorded a blocked shot with 4.8 seconds left and Houston clinging to a one-point lead. Following a Robert Covington free throw, the Rockets blew up an inbounds play from the Thunder with 1.1 seconds left to clinch the series and set a date opposite the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals.
Game 1 of that series is set for Friday in the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Dort produced a game-high 30 points on 6-for-12 3-point shooting, the highest scoring total for an undrafted rookie in a Game 7. But the Rockets clamped down elsewhere defensively, forcing Thunder guard Chris Paul into six turnovers while holding Dennis Schroder to 5-of-17 shooting.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander matched Paul with 19 points and hit a corner 3-pointer that gave the Thunder a 102-101 lead with 1:42 remaining. But those were the final points of the game for the Thunder, who committed 22 turnovers that Houston converted into 28 points.
Harden shot just 4 of 15 and had a series-low 17 points. But he added nine assists and received help from his teammates, with Covington posting 21 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and three blocks.
