California supporters are thrilled about the opportunity to celebrate three victories in the Lone Star State, as the Dodgers, Golden State, and the Padres all won on the same day in Texas.

In the earlier part of the evening, Freddie Freeman’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning ended a scoreless game, leading the Dodgers to a 1-0 victory over the Texas Rangers in a tightly contested pitchers’ duel at Globe Life Field in Arlington.

Pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who exited the game in the fifth inning, was supported by six relievers, contributing to the team’s shutout performance.

The Rangers only allowed three hits, attributed to Tyler Mahle’s performance. Mahle conceded two hits while striking out four batters and issued three walks. As a result, his earned run average decreased to 0.68, the lowest in Major League Baseball.

One opportunity left the Rangers empty when Adolis Garcia could not make contact, striking out with a runner on second base, concluding the eighth inning.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a solo home run that enabled the San Diego Padres to prevent a sweep by defeating the Houston Astros 3-2 on Sunday at Minute Maid Park.

Tatis Jr. who accounted for all of the Padres runs, launched a powerful shot over the center field wall.

Alek Jacob secured the victory for the Padres following Dylan Cease’s performance, during which he pitched five innings, allowed six hits, and achieved six strikeouts.

The Astros found themselves behind 2-0 before leveling the score at 2-2 in the fifth inning, thanks to Dubon’s run-scoring single. Additionally, Yordan Alvarez contributed with a sacrifice fly that added to the Astros’ scoring efforts.

Framber Valdez pitched seven innings, allowing seven hits and two runs.

In the opening game of the NBA playoffs, the seventh-seeded Warriors defeated second-seeded Houston, 95-85 in the Western Conference.

Steph Curry scored 31 points, and Jimmy Butler contributed 25. The Rockets defense had no answer for Golden State’s prominent players.

Curry posed significant challenges for Houston’s defense by successfully making five 3-pointers during the game. Meanwhile, Butler, who was traded from Miami in February, proved to be a persistent problem for the Rockets, adding seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.

Houston trailed by 23 points but reduced the gap to 69-60 in the third quarter. Subsequently, Fred VanFleet brought Houston closer, narrowing the deficit to four with less than three minutes remaining in the game; however, Moses Moody responded with a three-pointer, extending Golden State’s advantage to 91-80.

Game two in the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Wednesday evening in Houston.

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The Houston Rockets got 23 points from Woods and Gordon to lead to its sixth win in a row.

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The Thunder had no plans of digging out of a 0-3 hole.

Chris Paul scored seven points in overtime as the Thunder pulled away from Houston, 119-107 on Saturday in game three of the first round of the playoffs in the best of seven series at the Bubble.

The Thunder who was staring at a 0-3 hole, got 29 points from Dennis Schroder and Paul scored 26.

Paul connected on the decisive three-pointer to put Oklahoma up, 108-104 moments into overtime. Daniel House posed the Rocket’s final threat, draining a trey, 119-107, by that time, the game was out of reach.

Harden who fouled out with less than a minute left in regulation, led the Rockets with 38 points on 12/27 field goals and 11/15 from the free-throw line. Jeff Green came off the bench with 22 points. Eric Gordon added 18 and House tacked on 15 points.

House shot free throws with 8.7 left, tying the score at 104 but missed an opportunity to give the Rockets a one-point lead after missing the second free throw.

Trailing 82-78 opening the fourth quarter, Thunder’s Danilo Gallinari connected on a three-pointer to close in on the Rockets lead, 82-81. Though Gordon followed with a slam dunk, Paul and Alexander converted a pair of mid-range jumpers to give the Thunder a one lead, 85-84 with 8:57 remaining.

Still, neither team led by more than five points over the next couple of minutes. The battle to punch and counter continued until Paul dished off to a wide-open Alexander, which drained a trey, putting Oklahoma up, 104-103.

As the contest started, surprisingly, three layups, instead of three-pointers gave the Rockets it’s first six points of the game. During that short period, shooting guard Luguentz Dort converted a free throw for the Thunder as Houston led, 6-1.

But Oklahoma fought back, trimming the deficit to a point, 6-5 after Steven Adams’ slam and Dort’s layup.

After a quick timeout, House stroked a trey, Harden banked a layup shot and Jeff Green was credited two points after the Thunder were sited with basket interference. That completed a 7-0 run which ended when Oklahoma’s Dennis Schroeder knocked down two free throws, 13-7, Oklahoma trailed.

The Rockets led by as many as 12-points after Harden swept to the basket, laying the ball off the glass. That made the score, 19-7 with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

The remainder of the first quarter watched the score see-saw with Houston entering the second quarter up, 29-23.

Much of the same back and forth scoring got the second quarter off and running as Houston led by nine, 34-25. Still, the momentum quickly swung toward the Thunder as its defensive pressure picked up sparking its offense.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander converted five consecutive points, closing Houston’s lead, 41-39 with 6:40 left in the second quarter.

Then Harden drew back-to-back fouls where he made good on three of four free throws, increasing the Rockets lead, 44-39.

The progression of the second quarter turned into fireworks as both teams traded timely punches.

Each moment the Thunder drew within three points and threatened to take the lead, Houston would find a way to keep the lead by knocking down trey or Harden drawing fouls, leading to free throws.

Oklahoma’s best chance to take the lead crumbled despite a 6-0 run when Alexander converted two free throws and Schroder scored four points, trimming the lead, 56-55. But the Rockets countered with a 7-2 run after Harden scored all seven points to close out the half with Houston up, 63-57.

The third quarter had its share high moments. Alexander and Paul scored seven consecutive points, cutting the lead to two points, 66-64 with 8:40 left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma took advantage of the Rockets miss firing, to push ahead, 70-66. Gallinari got the 6-0 run started by converting three straight free throws and Alexander followed with a three-pointer.

No defense was enough to slow these warriors. Houston regained the lead, 74-72 after Jeff Green’s fast-break layup and Harden’s step-back trey as the Rockets led at the closing of the third quarter, 82-78.

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James Harden collected his 2000th point for the fourth straight year, and the Houston Rockets set a single-season record for most wins in a season at 59 after thumping the Pelicans, 114-91 while extending its winning streak to eight games on Saturday night at the Toyota Center.

nine games left on the schedule, Houston holds a four and a half-game lead over the Warriors as it looks to nail down home court advantage at seasons end.

Something the franchise has never done, surpassed the previous win total of 58 games in a season, set in 1993-94. The Rockets did so behind Harden’s 27 points. Not only did the beard lead the team to victory but he picked up his 2000th point of the season.

Also, the Rocket’s (59-14) support came from several players, with four in double figures. Ryan Anderson totaled 16, Clint Capela chipped in a double with 18 points 16 rebounds and six blocks, Gerald Green added 14 and Eric Gordon scored 19.

Luc Mbah a Moute sat with a sore left knee while Chris Paul nursed his left hamstring for the past couple of games.

The Rockets controlled the tempo as the Pelicans were playing its sixth game in eight days. However, that won’t dampen the Rockets spirit, who have won eight consecutive games since dropping its first game after the all-star game to the Raptors.

For the tired, struggling Pelicans (43-31), who were without Rajon Rondo (separated wrist) and Nikola Mirotic, its offense was as seldom as the number of timeouts a team receives during a game.

Anthony Davis, who poured in 25 points admitted the Pelicans were tired from attending Tom Benson’s Funeral earlier yesterday. Cheick Diallo finished with 15 points and nine assists, Darius Miller added 11, and Jrue Holiday scored 10.

The Rockets led 64-37 at intermission and consistently applied pressure on both ends of the court throughout the third and fourth quarter as Anderson, Capela, Gordon, and Green scored with jumpers and close range shots.

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James Harden’s last shot to tie the game sailed off to the right side of the basket. The three-point attempt would have taken the game into overtime had it scored. Yet it snapped the Rockets 17 game winning streak as Toronto won, 108-105 on Friday night at Air Canada Centre.

With the winding seconds ticking away, Harden took control of the ball under heavy pressure from the Raptors defense as he attempted an off-balanced shot with no time left.

Raptors Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan hit key baskets down the stretch to couple with the Rockets 9-of-27 shooting from behind the arc. Houston had connected on one trey before Harden drained a three-pointer with 2:48 left in the third quarter.

The Rocket’s loss gives Toronto the season series sweep in a playoff-like atmosphere.

Lowry led Toronto with 30 points, and DeRozan scored 23.
It was the Rockets first loss since falling to New Orleans back on January 27.

Houston dodged several bullets in front of a packed emotional crowd but still managed to put itself in a position to tie the game on Harden’s desperation three-pointer as time expired.

Harden led four Rockets in scoring with 40 points. Eric Gordon and Chris Paul had 14, and Trevor Ariza added 13.

Lowry came out on fire, scoring 13 points in the first quarter for the East-leading Raptors. The Rockets, who entered the game as the top team in the West, was shooting for its 18th win in a row.

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Meanwhile, Utah trailed, 70-63 opening the fourth quarter. But Gerald Green’s (3-pointer) and Mbah a Monte’s layup, quickly pushed Houston’s lead to 12-points, 77-65.

As the game progressed, both teams traded points until Joe Ingles stroked a trey to pull Utah within five points, 79-74 with 8:02 left. However, the Jazz defense could never string together enough stops to post a serious run as it fell to Houston, 96-85 on Monday at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

On the other hand, James was still the same Harden, scoring 26 points, Mbah a Monte added 17. Chris Paul scored 15.

Utah trailed, 16-9 when Jonas Jerebko and Rudy Gobert jump-started a 12-2 run to take a 19-16 lead. Although Joe Johnson’s three-pointer tied the game at 19, the Jazz held a 23-19 lead after the first quarter.

By far the second quarter was Utah’s best. Jae Crowder fired a three-pointer, Alec Burks added a layup and a three-ball to increase its lead 29-19.

Utah shot 57 percent in the second quarter and took a 15-point lead twice, 40-25 and 44-29 after Derrick Favors followed up a rebound stick back and

Donovan Mitchell sliced to the basket and threw down a thunderous dunk.
Gobert totaled 17, and Donovan Michell scored 16 to lead Utah.

The Rockets shot poorly from behind the arch. During the second quarter, it was 9-of-27 with six minutes left in the quarter.

But Houston scrapped its way back into the game after the Jazz went scoreless over the next three minutes. It gave Harden time to make back-to-back steals. Chris Paul drained four free throws, and Harden fed Nene Hilario a pass that resulted in a dunk. That trimmed Utah’s lead to six points before the quarter ended.

Houston continued to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter. Utah got five points from Ricky Rubio to start the quarter which made the score, 49-42. But another Jazz cold spell followed which ended after three and a half minutes as the Rockets trailed, 49-48 with 8:33 left. The teams traded baskets with Utah leading 57-52.

Then Houston showed why its highest scoring team in the NBA when Paul found Harden for the reverse layup and Trevor Ariza downed two quick three-pointers to give Houston a 59-57 lead with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

Donovan Mitchel’s layup tied the game at 59 with under three minutes to play in the third quarter. However, The Jazz who had won 12-of-13 could not close out the game with a win.

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When the Nuggets drew within four points with under a minute to play, James Harden signaled to Coach D’Antoni to send Johnson into the game. He did so by pulling Capela. It turned out to be the best move of the game as Denver’s rally effort fell short, forcing it to foul Joe Johnson as he took the inbound pass, to stop the clock.

He made his way to the free throw line, where he calmly knocked down both shots to increase the Rockets lead, 116-110. It would be enough as Houston dwarfed Denver’s comeback to win, 119-114 on Sunday night at the Pepsi Center.

Harden poured 41 points, seven assist and 8 rebounds, Paul added 23 and Ariza scored 14.

The victory gives Houston a 12-game streak and 21-of its last 25 contest. Its record stands at (46-13), the best in the NBA.

Johnson known for his three-point shooting, subbed into the game with 20 seconds left. As he took possession of the inbound pass, immediately Denver fouled with 18.8 left. That landed Johnson at the free throw line where he downed two shots to increase the Rockets lead, 116-110. Paul capped his evening, scoring 23 points, five rebounds, six assist and two steals. 

Will Barton led Denver (33-27) with 25 points.  Center Nikola Jokic tossed in 21 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assist, Jamal Murray added 19, Trey Lyles chipped in 12, Wilson Chandler tacked on 10. 

The trio scored several quick close range baskets to climb back into the game, but Harden and Paul scored crucial baskets to offset the Denver Nuggets, on its way to its 12th straight victory.

Houston led by as many as 18 points after Paul and Tucker scored five quick points and seemed to be on its way to a blowout win, but that changed when the Nuggets responded with a 9-0 run, trimming Houston’s lead, 43-34 with 10:53 left in the second quarter. 

The Rockets came out firing on all cylinders. Capela’s one-handed shot, followed a timely Alley Hoop pass from James Harden to open the game, 4-0. Right after, Paul was on the front end of an 8-0 run when he buried a three-pointer. Ariza, fresh off a strained hamstring injury, took a court-long feed from Harden which resulted in a layup. Then Harden closed the run with a trey as the Rockets led 15-5.

Denver struggled to score in the first quarter. It enabled the Rockets to build a 14-point lead, 36-22 after Devin Harris fouled Harden in the act of shooting beyond the three-point line. The Beard converted all three free throws with under a minute left in the first quarter.

The Rockets controlled the flow of the game with its quick paste transition game. It allowed the Rockets to hold a double-digit lead for most of the evening.

Scrappy defense aided the Rockets cause as well. 

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Photo Credit; Yalanda Charles/ossports

 
With Eric Gordon suffering a dreadful shooting night, going 0-for-9 from 3-point land, and Draymond Green countering with unexpected treys, the Rockets had to feel good about coming away with the edge. An unlikely three-point shooter, Green, who finished 2-of-3 from the arch, scored 21 points, eight rebounds and had seven steals. Gordon’s disappointing day produced only six points.
But more importantly, Houston snapped the Warriors 14-game winning streak while defeating Golden State in two out of three games this season. The most recent watched a sold-out crowd at the Toyota Center cheer on the Rockets to a 116-108 victory on Saturday night.
In the winding moments, Rockets’ defense forced Klay Thompson into three erroneous shots – all from three-point land. Following, Harden fired a trey before sprinting down the court to block Curry’s shot. Then, Durant pulled up for an off-balanced three-pointer with 40 seconds left. That allowed Chris Paul’s late free throws to close out the scoring as the Rockets came away with its second victory over Golden State this season.
Coach Steve Kerr did not feel like the Warriors played well enough to win and also said, Houston is a great team. All things were not bad for Golden State. Green pushed passed the 4,000th point for a career-best of (4019) and also collected his 3,000th rebound with seven on the night.
Five Rockets (36-13) finished the game in double figures. Paul led the way with 33 points, 6-of-11 from the three-point line. Harden scored 22, Capela added 18, L. Mbah a Mouta had 14 and Tucker poured in 12.
With the loss of Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green serving game two of a two-game suspension for a quarrel with the Clippers and Harden playing in his second game since suffering a strained hamstring, the Rockets are counting its blessings.
Houston shot 47.1 compared to the Warriors 48.8 percent for the game. But the Rockets defense down the stretch made the difference.
For the Warriors (40-11), it was a night of missed opportunities.
The fourth quarter opened tightly contested with the rockets leading 92-91. That would be short lived as Green dial up a trey to tie the game at 94. Then Nick Young’s layup gave Golden State the lead, 96-94. After, the game traded baskets until PJ Tucker connected on a three-pointer from the left baseline to push Houston ahead, 108-106.
Durant led four Warriors in double figures with 26 points. Green scored 21, Curry added 19, and Young finished with 16.
It was the first time Golden State loss on the road since November 22nd.
Houston led by as many as 12 points to close out the first quarter, 40-28. It continued to hold a minimum lead as the rockets received team supports from all of its starters except for a surprisingly cold shooting Gordon.
In the second quarter, Paul drained a three-pointer to give the Rockets its largest lead of the game, 64-47 with under three minutes left. However, Golden State snatched the momentum when it closed out the half with an 11-1 run to cut into the Rockets lead, 65-58. The impressive series began with Durant’s layup, he followed it with a free throw, Green shot two free throws, Curry and Thompson netted three-pointers.
As the game progressed, Golden State could never piece together a more extensive run to overtake the Rockets.

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