Chris Paul played hero for the Oklahoma City Thunder anew as they dragged the Houston Rockets to a win-or-go-home Game 7 in their Western Conference first round playoff series.

Paul erupted for 15 of his 28 points in the 4th quarter to rally the Thunder to a come-from-behind 104-100 win over the Rockets on Monday, August 31 (Tuesday, September 1, Manila time).

Not shying away from crunch time, Paul – who also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals – scored 8 of their last 12 points as the Thunder wrapped up the win with a rousing 12-2 run.

“This is who we are,” Paul said. “We are built for stuff like this. A lot of our guys have been pushed out and traded (from other teams). We just stick together and keep fighting.”

The Rockets led 98-92 with 4 minutes left before Paul tied the game with back-to-back three-pointers, toying with former All-Defensive First Team member Robert Covington on both shots.

Paul then drew a foul from Covington in the final 15 seconds and sank both of his foul shots to give the Thunder a 100-98 lead, which Danilo Gallinari padded with another pair of free throws.

Gallinari finished with 25 points and 6 rebounds, Luguentz Dort added 13 points, Dennis Schroder chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered 10 points and 6 assists in the win.

The Rockets had plenty of chances to either tie the game or take the lead but it did not help their cause when Russell Westbrook committed two turnovers and airballed a shot in the last 1:30 minutes.

Westbrook, playing in just his second game in the playoffs after dealing with a quad injury, put up 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists against 7 turnovers in 27 minutes.

James Harden churned out his usual numbers for the Rockets with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, but he was a non-factor down the stretch as Westbrook held the ball for much of the final minute.

Covington had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks for the Rockets.

“I had 5 (turnovers) so we’ve both got to be better with the basketball,” said Harden. “Twelve turnovers between the two. If we cut those in half, we give ourselves a better shot.”

Game 7 is Wednesday (Thursday, Philippine time) at the Disney complex in Florida, with the winner advancing to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals. – Rappler.com