NBA Playoffs 2019: Latest Scores, Round 2 Bracket, Standings and More

The Houston Rockets were not about to go quietly into the good night.

The Rockets earned their first victory in their second-round series with the Golden State Warriors Saturday night, recording a 126-121 overtime triumph as James Harden came through with 41 points. Harden hit a clutch three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining in the extra session, and that shot basically assured that the Rockets would get their first win in the series.

Houston still trails the two-time defending NBA champions by a 2-1 margin after dropping the first two games in Oakland.

Harden got plenty of support from Eric Gordon, who scored a playoff career-high 30 points that included seven three-pointers.

Harden was still showing the effect of the hit to the face he took from Draymond Green in Game 2 that damaged both of his eyes. However, he was able to play and connect on 14 of 32 shots.

The Rockets were able to overcome a 46-point effort from Kevin Durant, but they might not have found a way to win if Stephen Curry had shot the ball to his normal standards.

Curry struggled with his jump shot and made just seven of 23 shots while scoring 17 points. Incredibly, Curry missed two layups during the extra session.

"I've just got to make those," he said, per Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press (h/t NBA.com). "If I'm out there playing, I've got to produce, and it just didn't happen tonight."

The Rockets lost to the Warriors in last year's Western Conference Final in seven games, and they have been waiting for another chance to challenge Golden State. They will get their next opportunity in Game 4 Monday night at 9:30 p.m. ET

NBA Playoff Bracket Standings

Eastern Conference

(1) Milwaukee Bucks 2, (4) Boston Celtics 1

(3) Philadelphia 76ers 2, (2) Toronto Raptors 1

Western Conference

(1) Golden State Warriors 2, (4) Houston Rockets 1

(3) Portland Trail Blazers 2, (2) Denver Nuggets 1

Sunday NBA Playoffs Schedule

Game 4: Toronto at Philadelphia (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, WatchESPN and ESPN app) 

Game 4: Denver at Portland (7 p.m. ET, TNT, TNTdrama.com and TNT app)

Toronto at Philadelphia

After beating the Raptors by 21 points in Game 3 of the series in Philadelphia, the 76ers have a chance to take an overpowering 3-1 lead in the series if they can win at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. 

Joel Embiid was overpowering in that game with 33 points and 10 rebounds, and he did it in 28 minutes. Embiid has been battling a sore knee in the postseason, but it didn't stop him from registering his playoff career high in points scored.

Embiid got a big assist from Jimmy Butler, who scored 22 points with nine rebounds and nine assists while playing aggressive defense.

Making matters worse for the Raptors is the right calf injury suffered by forward Pascal Siakam. The injury will most likely limit Siakam. That would be a huge problem since he has been the team's second-most productive player after Kawhi Leonard. Siakam is averaging 23.3 points in the first three games of the series.

Toronto coach Nick Nurse says that his team must get more involved physically than it was in the 116-95 loss Thursday night.

"I think the first adjustment we're going to have to make is we're going to have to play a hell of a lot harder," Nurse said, per Ben Golliver of the Washington Post. "We're going to have to play a hell of a lot more physical. And if we don't do that, then the prettiest things we decided to do offensively aren't going to matter much."

Denver at Portland

After a spectacular quadruple-overtime game Friday night, the Nuggets and Blazers will go at it again less than 48 hours after their instant classic.

Portland managed to outlast Denver 140-137 in the second postseason game of that length in NBA history. Denver's Nikola Jokic played 65 of the 68 minutes in that game, while CJ McCollum played 60 minutes for the Blazers.

The Blazers can take a 3-1 lead in the series if they can win at the Moda Center in the Rose City Sunday. McCollum scored 41 points to match his career playoff high, and Rodney Hood came off the bench to score seven consecutive points in the fourth overtime that helped earn the victory.

Enes Kanter, playing with an injured left shoulder, was a force with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Damian Lillard, who has earned a reputation as being the Blazers' best clutch player, hit two key layups in the third overtime that allowed the Blazers to extend the game to the fourth OT period. Lillard had 28 points and eight assists in the game.

Jokic had a monster stat line in the Game 3 loss with 33 points, 18 rebounds and 14 assists. Jamal Murray had a game-high 34 points for the Nuggets, while Paul Millsap, Will Barton and Gary Harris all made key contributions.

Denver head coach Michael Malone will have to come through with a magnificent effort if it is going to avoid a 3-1 hole.

"We're going to need everybody," Malone said, per Field Level Media (h/t ESPN.com). "Our guys are drained with all the minutes [they've played]. We're pushing them to give us all they have. It's Game 4, our backs to the wall on the road—let's leave it all out there on the floor."

Conditioning will play a huge role for both teams in this game after their three hour, 35-minute game Friday night.