HOUSTON Rockets pulled off a 104-102 victory over Oklahoma City Thunder in the do-or-die game of their Western Conference first round series Wednesday (Thursday in the Philippines).
Trailing 101-102 in the final minute of the match, P.J. Tucker scored a two-pointer to hand Houston the edge followed by Robert Covington’s ice-sealing free throws.
Covington finished the match with a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds while Eric Gordon contributed 21 markers for Houston.
The Rockets will clash with Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the playoffs.
Jimmy Butler, on the other hand, drained two free throws to help Miami Heat escape Milwaukee Bucks, 116-114, and possess a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Slovenian Goran Dragić carried the Heat with 23 points, Tyler Herro registered 17 markers while Butler logged 13 points.
Here are the NBA playoffs’ first round results:
Eastern Conference
* Milwaukee 4-1 Orlando
* Indiana 0-4 Miami*Boston 4-0 Philadelphia
* Toronto 4-0 Brooklyn
Western Conference
* Lakers 4-1 Portland
* Houston 4-3 Oklahoma
* Denver 4-3 Utah
* Clippers 4- 2 Dallas
The NBA holds all of its matches at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, United States./PN
