Rockets Survive James Harden's Struggles to Win Critical Game 5 vs. Warriors

The Houston Rockets held serve on their home court and defeated the Golden State Warriors, 98-94, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night at Toyota Center to take a 3-2 series lead. 

Eric Gordon led all Houston scorers with 24 points off the bench, while Chris Paul worked his way through early struggles and finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists before leaving late in the fourth quarter with an apparent hamstring injury. James Harden, meanwhile, sputtered his way to 19 points on 21 shots. 

Kevin Durant (29 points), Stephen Curry (22 points) and Klay Thompson (23 points) all came up with solid efforts, but the Dubs' potential game-tying possession with under five seconds remaining resulted in a Draymond Green turnover.

Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors - Game Highlights

Warriors Blow Golden Opportunity as Harden Struggles

If you had told the Warriors before Game 5 that Harden would finish with 19 points on 5-of-21 shooting from the floor (0-of-11 from three), four assists and six turnovers, they would have been giddy. 

And yet, they couldn't capitalize on favorable circumstances as the league's likely MVP remained mired in a shooting slump that dates back to Game 4: 

On top of that, the Rockets shot a shaky 13-of-43 (30.2 percent) from three. 

Any other night, those numbers would have favored the Warriors in a major way. But thanks to a handful of clutch, contested conversions from Paul and the Rockets' 33-4 edge in bench scoring, Houston was able to shake off Harden's hasty decision-making and ride a collective effort to move within one win of the NBA Finals. 

Chris Paul Game Highlights

However, Harden may not have that luxury of getting bailed out again. 

Paul appeared to be dealing with a rather serious hamstring injury, and head coach Mike D'Antoni said after the game that the floor general is "worried" about his status moving forward, according to the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. 

CP3 Injury

In the event Paul can't suit up for Game 6, the pressure will be on Harden to produce a legacy-defining performance so the Rockets can avoid heading back to Houston for Game 7. 

Warriors Must Avoid Stagnant Iso Offense to Stay Afloat

Kevin Durant Game Highlights

Once upon a time, the Warriors blistered opponents by embracing controlled chaos.

Their motion offense flustered even the league's stingiest defenses, and it always felt like a matter of when—not if—they would go on a back-breaking run filled with threes. 

That wasn't the case in Game 5. 

Instead, the Dubs sputtered through the opening 24 minutes and leaned heavily on isolations and post-ups. The result was a stagnant attack that made it look like an episode of Hero Ball featuring Kevin Durant: 

Head coach Steve Kerr provided a bit of sage advice and implored Durant to trust his teammates in the second half, as TNT documented, but the returns weren't much more encouraging. 

Durant finished the night without an assist and was the only Warriors player other than Nick Young—who played just one minute—to not register a dime. 

At this point, it's clear that iso-heavy approach isn't going to fly against a defense of Houston's caliber. 

Dubs Enter Uncharted Territory With New Era Looming 

The Warriors are in an unfamiliar spot, to say the least. 

For starters, this is the first time they've lost consecutive playoff games since Durant came aboard last season. It's also the first time they've faced elimination since the 2016 Finals, which, incidentally, was the last time they dropped a series. 

That should have them feeling uneasy. However, Kerr isn't sweating it. 

"I feel great about where we are right now," he said after Thursday's loss. "That may sound crazy, but I feel it. I know exactly what I'm seeing out there, and we defended them beautifully tonight. We got everything we needed. Just too many turnovers, too many reaches. If we settle down a little bit, we're gonna be in really good shape." 

Based on Paul's injury and Golden State's sheer level of talent, it would be a mistake to discount the chances of a comeback. 

That said, it's fair to wonder if a new era is about to begin. 

Not only are the Rockets within one game of their first NBA Finals since 1995, but the Boston Celtics are in a similar position in the Eastern Conference after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 on Wednesday night. 

As a result, the numbers favor a fresh Finals matchup following three straight years of the Warriors and Cavs: 

Houston will have to dig deep to avoid what's sure to be a furious Warriors rally. But with a more robust complement of contributors and burgeoning confidence, it's not unreasonable to think a changing of the guard could be in store this weekend. 

What's Next? 

The series shifts back to the Bay Area. Game 6 will get underway at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday night.