Rockets finish off Mavs, advance to West semis for 1st time in 6 years

Things are finally starting to come together the way Daryl Morey envisioned.

Dwight Howard recorded 18 points and 19 rebounds, James Harden poured in 28 points and eight assists, Josh Smith chipped in with 20 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Terrence Jones provided the final daggers to help the Houston Rockets take down the rival Dallas Mavericks, 103-94, in a series-clinching Game 5 win.

With the victory, the Rockets advanced to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time in six years.

Turning Point

After J.J. Barea cut the Rockets' lead to 88-85 with 5:18 remaining, Jones went on a personal 6-0 run over the next 50 seconds - thanks to an and-1 and a 3-pointer - to extend the lead to nine.

After the Mavs got back to within two possessions in the final two minutes, Jones responded with back-to-back dunks - both on assists from Harden - to extend the lead to 10 and put Dallas away for good.

Star Performer

Harden's 28 points led the way and Jones came up with timely fourth-quarter buckets, but it was Howard who dominated the elimination game on both ends of the floor.

In addition to his 18 points and 19 boards, Howard recorded four blocks and four steals while anchoring a Rockets D that limited the Mavs to 38 percent shooting.

Howard's 39 minutes of impressive two-way play have to be encouraging for Rockets fans searching for indications that the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is finally healthy.

Highlight Reel

Josh Smith throws up a prayer, and Dwight Howard answers it:

One of the aforementioned Harden-to-Jones daggers:

Series at a Glance

Game 1: Rockets 118, Mavericks 108 (Rockets lead 1-0)
Game 2: Rockets 111, Mavericks 99 (Rockets lead 2-0)
Game 3: Rockets 130, Mavericks 128 (Rockets lead 3-0)
Game 4: Mavericks 121, Rockets 109 (Rockets lead 3-1)
Game 5: Rockets 103, Mavericks 94 (Rockets win series 4-1)