Houston Rockets’ Dwight Howard (12) celebrates after beating the Los Angeles Clippers 113-100 in Game 7 of the NBA basketball Western Conference semifinals, Sunday, May 17, 2015, in Houston. AP
HOUSTON–The Houston Rockets humbled the Los Angeles Clippers 113-100 in game seven of their NBA second-round playoff series Sunday to reach their first Western Conference final since 1997.
James Harden tallied 31 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Dwight Howard finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets who became just the ninth team ever to rally from a 3-1 series deficit to win in seven games.
It marked another playoff meltdown for the Clippers who have never made it to the NBA semi-finals in franchise history and looked to be in command of the series after notching three wins in dominating fashion.
The Rockets move on to face the top-seeded Golden State Warriors starting on Tuesday in Oakland.
They closed out the series three days after stealing game six in Los Angeles, where they rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit for a 119-107 victory.
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