NBA PLAYOFFS: Rockets crush Warriors, force Game 7

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NOT even the raucous crowd could stop the Houston Rockets from completing the second Game 7 in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Rockets got a new lease on life after they blasted the Golden State Warriors, 115-107, in Game 6 of their first-round best-of-seven playoff series on Saturday (Philippine time), May 3.

Houston tied the series, 3-3, forcing a sudden-death Game 7 that they will be hosting on Monday, May 5.

Facing elimination in a rough road game, the Rockets ended the third quarter with a slim 86-84 lead, but Fred VanVleet started the payoff period with a four-point play and Jalen Green scored on a putback, stretching the Rockets’ lead to 92-84.

Houston seized control from that point on, leading by as many as 17 points in the final stanza.

VanVleet finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, Alperen Sengun piled up 21 markers, 14 boards, and six feeds.

Steven Adams, Amen Thompson, and Green also wound up in double figures with 17, 14, and 12, respectively.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points but he was just 6-for-16 from three-point distance. Jimmy Butler added 27 markers as he and Curry were the only Golden State starters to score in double figures.

The other Game 7 in the West playoffs pits the Denver Nuggets and the LA Clippers.

Denver and LA clash in a sudden-death duel on Sunday, May 4, with the winner earning the right to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals.

The winner in the Houston-Golden State rubbermatch will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.(CCM)