HOUSTON — 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
WASHINGTON — 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.