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Hornets stun Heat, take 3-2 series lead; Warriors roll without Steph Curry

MIAMI – Courtney Lee was steaming after missing a layup that would have given Charlotte the lead heading into the final minute.

His anger didn’t last long.

Miami’s will last for a while.

Lee’s 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left put the Hornets ahead to stay, and Charlotte beat the Heat 90-88 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.

The Hornets have won three straight games in the series, and will take a 3-2 lead into a potential Game 6 clincher on Friday night.

Miami thought Dwyane Wade was fouled with 2.6 seconds left, then thought they fouled Cody Zeller in an effort to send him to the line as time was running out. Neither call came, and the Heat are on the brink of elimination.

Marvin Williams led the Hornets with 17 points, while Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker each had 14 for Charlotte – which got its first road playoff win in 14 years. Jeremy Lin added 11.

Wade scored 25 for Miami, while Luol Deng had 15, Joe Johnson added 13 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Lee missed a layup with about a minute left, insisting he got fouled by Wade. But the Heat came up empty on the ensuing possession, and Lee got an offensive rebound and eventually scored on Charlotte’s next trip down the floor.

That capped the scoring, as Miami left stunned.

WARRIORS 114, ROCKETS 81

OAKLAND, Calif. – Klay Thompson scored 27 points with seven 3-pointers and the Golden State Warriors rolled into the second round of the playoffs without injured superstar Stephen Curry, thoroughly embarrassing the Houston Rockets 114-81 on Wednesday night in Game 5.

Draymond Green added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Warriors.

So much for Jason Terry’s guarantee there would be a Game 6 back in Houston.

Without their MVP, Curry’s fellow Splash Brother set the tone from the opening tip. Thompson became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in consecutive playoff games, while Shaun Livingston scored 16 points for his third double-digit performance in three games while starting in Curry’s place this series.

James Harden scored 25 of Houston’s 37 first-half points on the way to 35 points, but the Rockets had no chance with a one-man show against the deep defending champions.

BLAZERS, 108, CLIPPERS 98

LOS ANGELES – CJ McCollum scored 27 points, Damian Lillard added 16 of his 22 in the fourth quarter when Portland pulled away, and the Trail Blazers capitalized on the absence of injured Chris Paul and Blake Griffin to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 108-98 on Wednesday night in Game 5 their first-round series.

The Blazers are up 3-2 and could close it out Friday in Portland. If Game 7 is needed, it would be Saturday back at Staples Center.

Maurice Harkless added 19 points and 10 rebounds, and Mason Plumlee had 10 points and 15 boards for Portland. The Blazers made six 3-pointers in the fourth, with Lillard hitting five of his six as they outscored the Clippers 37-27.

J.J. Redick led the Clippers with 19 points. Jamal Crawford, the Sixth Man of the Year, added 17 points starting in Paul’s place. Jeff Green also had 17 off the bench and DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Try as they might, the Clippers could not overcome the double-whammy of losing their two biggest stars. Paul is out indefinitely after breaking his right hand on a freakish play in Game 4, when Griffin aggravated a left quadriceps injury that had kept him out three months during the season. He won’t be back in the postseason.

Lillard, who had six points through the first three quarters, sparked the Blazers in the fourth. He opened with a 3-pointer, hit another one and then dunked off his steal of Pablo Prigioni. The Blazers ran off seven straight points, capped by Allen Crabbe’s 3-pointer, to go up 90-77 for their first double-digit lead of the game.



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