Rockets extend series with win

The Houston Rockets know the odds are stacked against them in their playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Still, they believe momentum is on their side.

Chandler Parsons scored 27 points and the Rockets escaped playoff elimination with a 105-103 win over the Thunder on Monday night in Game 4.

With point guard Jeremy Lin out with a bruised chest muscle, Patrick Beverley added 16 points for Houston.

The Rockets face a daunting bit of history: No NBA team has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. It's the first time in three chances that Houston has won a Game 4 when trailing 3-0 in a playoff series.

Game 5 is on Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

"Getting this first win gives us confidence going back to Oklahoma City, and anything can happen," James Harden said.

The Rockets led in the fourth quarter of each of the last two games only to end up losing.

"We felt the pain and frustration from the last two losses ... and we didn't want that to happen for the third straight time," Parsons said.

It almost did.

Kevin Durant scored five quick points to cut the Rockets' lead to two. Harden missed two shots after that and the Thunder had a last chance. Reggie Jackson missed a jump shot and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound, but missed a layup at the buzzer.

A stunned Ibaka fell to the court after the miss and covered his face with his hands.

Durant scored 38 points in Oklahoma City's second game without injured All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

The victory kept Houston from being swept in the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

"We're resilient and we're never going to give up no matter how much we're down in a game, how much we're down in a series," Parsons said. "No one's giving us a chance so we have no pressure. All the pressure is on them."

Durant hit the go-ahead 3-pointer in the Thunder's Game 3 win. He wanted to get another one off on Monday, but Francisco Garcia forced him to give up the ball.

"I was. I was going to try to win it," Durant said. "But he played good defense."

Durant is looking forward to the series shifting back to the Thunder's home court

"We'll be all right," he said.

(China Daily 05/01/2013 page12)