Eric Gordon leads Rockets to Game 5 victory

Eric Gordon scored 24 points off the bench Thursday night to help the Houston Rockets survive an off shooting night by James Harden and push the defending champion Warriors to the brink of elimination.

Gordon’s performance, which included a clutch steal on the Warriors’ final possession, drove the Rockets to a 98-94 home victory in Game 5 at the Toyota Center.

Harden scored 19 points, but did so while shooting 0-for-11 from 3-point range.

Center Clint Capela added a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Chris Paul had 20 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals but left in the game’s final minute with a hamstring injury.

Golden State fell short on the road despite seeing three players score more than 20 points.

Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 29 points, while Klay Thompson added 23 and Stephen Curry had 22. Draymond Green added a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Game 6 will take place at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Saturday night. If the Warriors win that game, a decisive Game 7 would be back in Houston on Monday.