The Los Angeles Clippers wanted the sweep. The team looked poised to wrap up their semi-final round in the playoffs, but James Harden had different plans as he catapulted a win for the Houston Rockets to keep the series alive. The Clippers were aiming for a Game 5 in Houston in order to move on the Western Conference finals to meet either the Warriors or the Grizzlies, but now they will have to hope a hometown crowd can help them get the job done.
Harden had no plans of letting the series end in Game 5. The runner-up to the MVP award put up 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the win. Harden has been averaging 28.3 points in game winners against the Clippers while only putting up 18.2 in the losses. His triple-double was the first in his playoff career and he would like for it not to be the last in this series. The key to the Rockets' win looked to be in the turnovers. Harden only turned the ball over five times while the Rockets committed an average of 18.5 throughout this series. They also shot 54.1 percent in Game 5 after putting up 40.4 percent in the previous two losses.
Getting this game on the road for Houston might not work in their favor. The Rockets are 5-1 when playing at home, but are 1-3 on the road. They are 1-9 in their last 10 road games against the Clippers. A change in lineup could help the team. Head coach Kevin McHale opted to start Josh Smith over Terrence Jones. That might have played a factor in the aggressive start Houston had.
The Clippers simply want to get things done at home and rest before the finals. The team has not made it past the second round of the playoffs since 1997 and would like to change that history. The Clippers have been shooting 52.5 percent in their last three homes game. However, JJ Redick, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers combined to shoot 9 of 41 and a series-low 41.8 percent in Game 5. Getting back to the Staples Center might just be what the Clippers need to regain form and get the win needed to move on.
