WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Houston Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz 100-93 in Game 5 at home on Wednesday to win their first round playoff series 4-1 and reach the semifinals of the West Conference.
Rockets star James Harden missed his first seven shots, but finally found his rhythm and scored 26 points. Center Clint Capela contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Paul had 15 points.
After scoring 31 points to help Utah win Game 4 at home, Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell was just 4 of 22 in Game 5 and managed just 12 points. Royce O'Neale came off the bench to lead the visiting team with 18 points. Ricky Rubio added 17 points and 11 assists. Forward Jae Crowder had 15.
The Rockets led 46-42 at halftime, but Utah never gave up and pulled with 94-93 with just one minute remaining. The Rockets players played solid defense in the final minute and scored six points in a row to secure the victory.
Coming up next for the Rockets will be the winner of the series between the Golden State Warriors and the LA Clippers.
