SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs were in a tough spot after Kawhi Leonard hurt his ankle in the second half.
That’s when Danny Green and the Spurs’ supporting cast stepped up.
Green scored seven of his 16 points in overtime, helping San Antonio top James Harden and the Houston Rockets 110-107 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Harden had 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He had a chance at a potential tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of OT, but was blocked from behind by Manu Ginobili.
ROCKETS vs SPURS
The Spurs tried to exploit a size advantage over the Rockets’ small lineup early, especially when Harden was guarding either Aldridge and Gasol. The Spurs’ big men only managed 2-for-5 shooting in the opening three minutes, leading San Antonio to abandon the strategy midway through the first quarter and sub Simmons for Gasol.
Rockets: Houston has lost four straight best-of-seven series when it was tied 2-2. The last time the Rockets won a series after being tied 2-2 was in the 1995 Western Conference finals when they beat the Spurs. … The Rockets have not lost to the Spurs in three previous postseason series. … C Nene is out for the remainder of the postseason after tearing his left adductor in Game 4. … The team that led at the half had won every game in the series until Game 5.
Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovich opted to start Mills after starting rookie Dejounte Murray in the previous two games in place of Parker. . Ginobili has 314 3-pointers in his postseason career, which is third in league history behind Ray Allen (385) and Reggie Miller (320).