Fred VanVleet isn’t done yet.
The former Toronto Raptors guard turned in one of his best performances of the postseason Wednesday night, scoring 26 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 131-116 win over the Golden State Warriors and keep their season alive. VanVleet shot 8-for-13 from the floor, including 4-for-6 from deep, and added two assists and a steal in 33 minutes as the Rockets cut Golden State’s series lead to 3-2.
He scored 19 points in the first half, including three early three-pointers in the opening quarter that set the tone for a young Rockets team. Houston built a 27-point lead by halftime and never looked back.
Canadian forward Dillon Brooks added 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting in one of his best all-around performances of the series, taking on the Jimmy Butler assignment for most of the night. He capped his night with a tough turnaround jumper over Stephen Curry that extended Houston’s lead to 29 in the third quarter, part of a second-half surge that saw the Rockets go up by as many as 31.
The Rockets will now head to San Francisco for Game 6 on Friday night as they hope to force a Game 7 back in Houston.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker gave the Timberwolves a boost off the bench Wednesday night, finishing with 10 points, 3 assists, and a pair of threes in 25 minutes as Minnesota eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers with a 103-96 win in Game 5. The Canadian guard was +4 on the night, helping the Wolves withstand a late push from LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
It marked the end of the season for the Lakers’ new superstar tandem, whose first playoff run together came to a disappointing close. Doncic tallied 28 points and 9 assists, while LeBron added 22, but Los Angeles had no answers for Rudy Gobert or Minnesota’s second-half surge.
The Timberwolves advance to the second round and will face the winner of the Golden State–Houston series.
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