NBA playoffs 2016: Hornets, Blazers get road wins in Game 5, Warriors finish Rockets

Houston concluded the 2015-16 season much like it started it, unable to turn its substantial talent into any kind of meaningful success. A first-round matchup against the Warriors was always going to be a daunting task, and right from the start in this series, the Rockets seemed to recognize how much the odds were stacked against them. The result was an uneven performance largely carried by Harden’s brilliance as a scorer.

That was especially the case in Game 5, where Harden scored 14 of the team’s first 16 points. Late in the first quarter, Harden was shooting 6-of-7 from the field while his teammates were a combined 0-of-13. It’s been that kind of series for the Rockets, who would’ve gotten swept if it weren’t for Harden’s heroics in Game 3. His teammates responded to that game-winner without a ton of enthusiasm, which in retrospect was an indicator of how the remaining games would go.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

CLUTCH: The Hornets have won some wild close games this season, and Game 5 in Miami moves to the top of that list. Charlotte came out ahead in the tense game thanks to an offensive rebound and three-pointer by Courtney Lee in the final half-minute and disciplined defense (or a non-call) by Cody Zeller against Dwyane Wade with seconds left. Charlotte can win their first playoff series in 14 years on Friday. Wade had a helluva game for Miami, both dunking and making noted dancer Justise Winslow dance.

The Warriors went up 37-20 after the first quarter Wednesday, then extended their lead to 22 points entering halftime. Houston came out of the break with five unanswered points to cut the lead to 17, but that was more or less the last sign of life from the team this season.

Three more things from Game 5:

Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers broke open a tied game in the fourth quarter, pulling away from the depleted Los Angeles Clippers for a 108-98 win in Game 5 of their first-round series.

Portland’s point guard scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter for the first road win by either team in this series. His backcourt mate, C.J. McCollum, led all scorers with 27 points.

Mason Plumlee was trying to watch the weakside action to make sure the Clippers didn’t get an easy layup. The only problem is by doing that, he forgot to watch his man, DeAndre Jordan. Jordan made sure Plumlee was aware that was a mistake by charging the rim and smashing a dunk just as Plumlee turned to recover.

Jordan doesn’t usually create off the dribble, but if you completely forget about him, things go bad in a hurry.

James Harden made 6-8 shots in the first quarter against Golden State on Wednesday. Add in 4-4 from the free throw line and he scored 18 points in the first quarter. Certainly with a scoring outburst like that, the Rockets would have posted an impressive first quarter.

Not quite

After three lopsided games to open the series, the past two have seen the Hornets and Heat in close battles. Game 5 went down to the wire and was not lacking in controversy thanks to a few interesting plays near the end of the fourth quarter.

Lee eventually redeemed himself by hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 25 seconds left, then got into the action again on Miami’s next possession. Wade had a chance to tie the game and possibly force overtime, but Lee blocked the shot and no foul was called. Wade was visibly upset with the officials afterward.

Dwyane Wade knows how important a Game 5 can be for a playoff series. That’s why he’s forgoing any notion of passing and is speeding by every defender in his way—he doesn’t care if they’re clogging up the paint—to deliver one of the most violent dunks he has delivered in years.

Don’t you dare tell Dwyane Wade he lost a step!

Justise Winslow was so happy to see Dwyane Wade’s footwork against the Hornets in Game 5 that he decided to join in by dancing. Is this just a lazy homage to John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever?

This happened only a few minutes after the game began. While the dance is super cool, you can’t celebrate that early. What if the Heat lose?

Both Paul and Griffin are done for the series, and likely the entire postseason as well. With them out of the lineup the Clippers are going to have to find new ways to manufacture points. They’ll also need to figure out how to slow down Al-Farouq Aminu, who scored a career-high 30 points in Game 4.

With Paul and Griffin watching from the sidelines, the Clippers are going to need those two trends to hold if they have hope of beating the Blazers.

On Tuesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was named NBA Coach of the Year. Now it’s time for him to prove that he was deserving of the honor.

If the Rockets have any hope of staging a comeback, they’re going to need a more efficient performance from James Harden. Harden is averaging more than 24 points per game this series, but is also shooting just 38 percent from the field. Houston will need a better showing in order to knock off Golden State, even with Curry out of the lineup.

The series moves back to Miami on Wednesday, a change which the Heat no doubt hope will help them rediscover their outside touch. The team scored a total of 165 points in the two games in Charlotte after dropping 238 on the Hornets in Games 1 and 2.

Place: American Airlines Arena