Gordon scored a team-high 24 points to help Houston top Golden State in Game 5 despite James Harden missing all 11 of his 3-pointers.
Eric Gordon sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds left, and the Houston Rockets eked out a 98-94 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday at Toyota Center.
With the Rockets clinging to a 2-point lead, Gordon sealed the victory at the foul line. The Warriors had an opportunity to pull even on their previous possession, but Draymond Green lost the basketball attempting a drive to the basket. Gordon recovered the loose ball.
The Rockets will take a 3-2 series lead back to Oakland, Calif., with a chance to close out the Warriors, the defending champions, on Saturday.
Houston won Game 5 despite James Harden missing all 11 of his 3-point attempts while finishing with 19 points on 5-of-21 shooting. He also committed six turnovers.
The Rockets’ other leader, Chris Paul, was on the bench for the final 22.4 seconds, apparently because of a right hamstring injury. Paul scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting in the second half after scoring 2 points before halftime.
Gordon tallied a team-high 24 points off the bench.
Kevin Durant paced the Warriors with 29 points while Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined for 45 points on 16-of-31 shooting. However, Curry missed a runner off the glass with the Warriors trailing by 1 point down the stretch. Green had 12 points, 15 rebounds and 6 turnovers.
