Rockets come roaring to scare Wolves in Round 1

Los Angeles, April 24: James Harden scored 36 points as the Houston Rockets moved to the brink of a Western Conference first round playoff series victory with a 119-100 rout of the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Harden underscored his status as front-runner for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award after leading a stunning third quarter performance that saw the Rockets explode for an astonishing 50 points.

That devastating burst of scoring — a franchise record — included 22 points from Harden as the Rockets transformed what had been a onepoint contest at half-time into a comfortable victory.

The win gave Houston a 3-1 lead in the best-ofseven series, giving the Western Conference leaders a chance to book their place in the second round of the playoffs with a victory at home in game five on Wednesday.

The smart money will be on Houston to wrap up the series quickly after Monday’s demolition job at Minnesota’s Target Center arena.

While Harden’s virtuoso third quarter performance ultimately decided the contest, the Rockets will also take heart from an offensive display that saw five players finish with double-digit points tallies.

Point guard Chris Paul weighed in with 25 points — including 15 in the lop-sided third quarter — while Eric Gordon had 18 and Trevor Ariza 15.

Centre Clint Capela finished with 14 points, and also pulled down 17 rebounds during his 31 minutes on court.

The Timberwolves’ scoring was led by KarlAnthony Towns with 22 points, while Jimmy Butler (19) and Derrick Rose (17) also made significant contributions.

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz moved to within one win of clinching their series against the Thunder with a convincing 113-96 win in Salt Lake City. — AFP