Joe Ingles' Utah Jazz have had their NBA season extinguished by the Houston Rockets.
The Rockets defeated the Jazz 100-93 in Houston on Thursday (AEST) to clinch their first-round western conference play-off series 4-1.
The Rockets jumped on the Jazz early taking an 8-0 lead before Ingles broke the drought and energised his team with a three-pointer.
The fourth quarter was a tight contest, although in the final minutes the Jazz repeatedly gave up the ball or missed key baskets.
Ingles had 11 points and continued his patchy shooting form, missing eight of his 12 field goals and six of nine three-pointers.
The Australian swingman did deliver nine assists and six rebounds.
The Rockets' NBA MVP candidate James Harden was not at his best, shooting just 38.5 per cent from the field, although he still top scored with 26 points.
He made just three of his 12 three-point attempts.
"That's a tough team," Rockets' guard Chris Paul said of Utah.
"We knew they wouldn't go away easily."
The Rockets will play the winner of the Golden State Warriors-Los Angeles Clippers series in the conference semi-finals.
The aggressive, desperate Los Angeles Clippers kept their series alive with a courageous win, cutting the Warriors' series lead to 3-2.
The Clippers surprised by defeating the Warriors 129-121 in Oakland on Thursday (AEST), with the next game in LA.
Andrew Bogut said his Warriors, the top seeds in the west, had better match the intensity of the Clippers, the eighth seeds, or the series could end up 3-3 and headed back to Oakland for the decider.
"We got a wake up call from them," Bogut told reporters.
"If we come out and just think we are going to roll over this team because they are an eighth seed, it doesn't work that way in the NBA playoffs."
The Clippers made NBA history in game two, also in Oakland, when they beat the Warriors after erasing a 31-point deficit to achieve the biggest comeback in a playoff game.
The game five win was just as heroic.
The Clippers led for most of the contest despite Warriors All-Stars Kevin Durant scoring 45 points, Steph Curry 24 and Klay Thompson 22.
The Clippers were more aggressive, with the 185cm-tall point guard Patrick Beverley scrapping for 14 rebounds and forward Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench for 24 points and inspirational defensive plays.
"It was defence," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
"We just did not defend."
The Warriors took the lead with three minutes to go but the Clippers, backed by Lou Williams' 33 points and 10 assists, refused to give in.
"It's a little mix of arrogance and hard work," Williams said of his team's personality.
Bogut appeared as though he would spark a game-winning rally early in the final period when in little over a minute he scored back-to-back baskets, drew an offensive foul and an offensive rebound.
The big Australian had six points and five rebounds.
AAP
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