SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nagmintin si James Harden sa unang 15 pagtatangka. Ngunit, hindi ito sapat para malusutan ng Utah Jazz ang Houston Rockets.

Sa kabila ng malamyang shooting, umiskor si Harden ng 22 puntos para pangunahan ang Rockets sa 104-101 panalo kontra Utah Jazz nitong Sabado (Linggo sa Manila).

Tangan ng Rockets ang dominanteng 3-0 sa kanilang best-of-seven Western Conference first round playoff.

“Keep shooting. Keep being aggressive,” pahayag ni Harden.

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“My job is to go out there and produce. Be aggressive and in attack mode. Nothing changes.”

Maging ang Jazz ay hindi makapaniwala na makalulusot pa rin ang Rockets kahit limitado ang opensa ngtinaguriang The Beard.

“You’re going to give something up. The best thing you can do with him is just try to make it hard on him. Even when you do that, there’s times where he’s going to make plays,” sambit ni Utah coach Quin Snyder.

Nag-ambag si P.J. Tucker ng 12 puntos at 10 rebounds.

Gaganapin ang Game Four sa Lunes (Martes sa Manila) sa Utah.

Kumana si Chris Paul ng 18 puntos at tumipa si Clint Capela ng 11 puntos at 14 rebounds para sa Rockets.

BUCKS 110, PISTONS 103

Sa Detroit, muling nadomina ng Milwaukee Bucks ang Pistons para sa dominanteng 3-0 bentahe sa Eastern Conference playoff.

“That’s something we’ve been working on all year,” sambit ni Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “We play together and take what the opponent gives us. It isn’t all about Giannis, as great and amazing as he is. We have a lot of guys who can make plays and Giannis knows when to step back and let them carry the load.”

Inaasahang mawawalis ng Bucks ang Pistons sa Game 4 sa Lunes.

“That young man is giving us everything his body will give, and we need every bit of it,”pahayag ni Pistons coach Dwane Casey. “He has a presence that no one else on our team can provide.”