By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, April 21, 2016

AP photo David J Phillips: The Houston Rockets James Harden takes the winning shot in game three at the Toyota Center in the first round of the playoffs vs. Golden State

James Harden came within two rebounds and one assist of getting a triple-double for the Houston Rockets on Thursday. He settled for a game-winning shot against Golden State instead.

Down by one point with 2.7 seconds to play, Harden hit a 10-foot jumper giving him 35 points on the night and a 97-96 victory over the Warriors in game three of their opening round NBA playoff best-of-seven series at Toyota Center in Houston.

The Warriors, playing without their injured MVP Stephen Curry, still lead the series 2-games-to-1. Game four is scheduled for Sunday in Houston.

Curry, out with an ankle injury suffered in game one, didn’t play because the Warriors didn’t want to risk re-injuring the ankle before it was fully healed. Coach Steve Kerr told the media Curry’s availability for Sunday’s game would be evaluated after two days of practice.

After Harden’s jumper put Houston ahead, the Warriors had one more possession, but Draymond Green lost the inbound pass off his foot and out of bounds as time ran out.

Marreese Speights scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Warriors, with Klay Thompson adding 17. Dwight Howard added 13 points,13 rebounds and two blocked shots for the Rockets, and Michael Beasley scored 12 points for the Rockets.