Rockets overcome Westbrook's 47 to eliminate Thunder in 5 games

The Rockets overcame another monstrous stat line from Russell Westbrook and eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 105-99 Game 5 win in Houston on Tuesday.

The Rockets, who will face the winner of Spurs-Grizzlies in the second round, are the third team to secure their place in the conference semifinals, joining the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Westbrook finished an assist shy of a fourth straight postseason triple-double, pouring in 47 points, 11 rebounds, and nine assists in the Game 5 loss. The MVP favorite, who became the first player in 55 years to average a triple-double during the regular season, finished the five-game, first-round series with averages of 37.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists.

Westbrook's on-court value was once again on full display Tuesday night, as the Thunder were outscored by 18 points in the six minutes they played without the six-time All-Star.

Westbrook struggled shooting the ball throughout the series, however, posting a 38.8-26.5-80.0 shooting split, which was punctuated by a 2-of-11 shooting performance in the fourth quarter of Game 5. He also matched an NBA record for 3-point attempts in a playoff game, hoisting up 18 triples on Tuesday - making five of them.