The Houston Rockets (2 - 3) defeated the Los Angeles Clippers (3 - 2), 124 - 103, in Game 5 of their series Tuesday at the Toyota Center. Houston had its back against the wall and faced elimination Tuesday after back - to - back blowout losses. The Rockets responded with a convincing victory of their own Tuesday to extend the series to a sixth game. Although his scoring output was similar to his previous two outings, James Harden had a much more impactful performance Tuesday to help the Rockets top the Clippers. He notched a triple - double as he tallied 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Harden left the game late in the fourth quarter as he has been battling a cold, but it should not impact his status for Game 6. Los Angeles attempted to make a comeback, but not even the "Hack-A-Rocket" strategy could slow the game enough for the Clippers to threaten Houston's lead. Game 6 will take place Thursday at the Staples Center with the Rockets needing a win to force Game 7. Los Angeles was outplayed in several facets of the game Tuesday and was unable to take advantage of Blake Griffin's stellar outing. Griffin was one of the lone bright spots for the Clippers as he posted 30 points and 16 rebounds. The Clippers were badly out - rebounded, losing the battle on the boards 58 - 39 on the night. Los Angeles also failed to take advantage of Houston's 11 turnovers with just three points on fast breaks. The Clippers will look to bounce back on its home floor on Thursday. Houston had big contributions from several of its players to help extend the series. In addition to Harden's triple - double, Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza each reached the 20 - point mark and Corey Brewer poured in 15 points off the bench. Josh Smith moved into the starting lineup in place of Terrence Jones. Smith finished with nine points and four assists, but his most impactful play was a three pointer in transition to put the Rockets up by 19 points in the fourth quarter. As a team, the Rockets dished out 29 assists, their highest mark of this postseason. The Rockets will need a similar performance Thursday in Los Angeles if they want to continue their playoff run.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 29 Number of team assists ,has 3 Losses ,has 124 Total points ,has 58 Rebounds ,has 11 Turnovers ,has 2 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Clippers') has 2 Number of team assists ,has 103 Losses ,has 39 Total points ,has 3 Rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Blake Griffin') has 30 Assists ,has 16 3-pointers made ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Josh Smith') has 4 Assists ,has 1 3-pointers made ,has 9 Offensive rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Dwight Howard') has 20 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'James Harden') has 10 Assists ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 26 Offensive rebounds ,has 11 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Corey Brewer') has 15 Assists ."]