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Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Houston Rockets advanced to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals after a dramatic Game 7 win over a pesky Oklahoma City Thunder squad led by veteran guard Chris Paul. Houston used a balanced attack and had three players score at least 20 points in the 104-102 triumph Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla. Rookie Luguentz Dort had a game-high 30 points for OKC in the loss.
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"It's a boost of confidence," Rockets guard James Harden told reporters. "Everything is great when [the team] is rolling offensively. We grinded it out defensively these last few games. Our shot making ability is going to come, and when it does, it will be scary, because our defense is going to be solid."
Harden, who is primarily known for his prowess as a scorer, provided the defensive play of the game.
The Rockets and Thunder tied the score multiple times down the stretch before Houston's P.J. Tucker hit a floating jump shot for a 103-102 lead with 1:25 remaining. Both squads then exchanged two empty possessions apiece before Dort spotted up for a 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining.
Harden jumped toward the Thunder guard and managed to block the attempt. The Rockets star then roared in celebration.
"Just when we thought we had them, they fought back," Harden said. "It was competitive. It was an unbelievable series to be a part of. Now we will move forward and get ready for the Lakers."
The Rockets won the first two games of the series before the Thunder responded with wins in Game 3 and Game 4. The Rockets won Game 5 on Saturday in Orlando. The Thunder tied the series at 3-3 with another win Monday in Game 6.
Thursday's game stayed tight through the first quarter until Darius Bazley hit a 3-pointer to give the Thunder a 30-29 lead after the first 12 minutes. Oklahoma City used a 5-0 run to earn a 47-41 edge in the second quarter before Houston rallied to tie the score and later earned a 61-59 lead at the half.
Rockets guard and former Thunder star Russell Westbrook had 10 points in the third quarter to help his team start the fourth frame with an 85-80 edge. Thunder guard Dennis Schroder hit a game-tying shot before Paul gave the Thunder a 94-91 lead with 8:22 remaining.
The score stayed tight down the stretch before Harden gave the Rockets a two-point lead with 3:39 remaining. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander then hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:42 remaining before Tucker hit his floater to give the Rockets a one-point edge with 85 seconds to go.
Robert Covington followed Harden's big block by making one of his two free throw attempts with 1.4 seconds remaining to ice the victory.
Covington and Eric Gordon led the Rockets with 21 points apiece. Covington also had 10 rebounds, three steals, three blocks and two assists. Westbrook had 20 points and nine rebounds. Harden scored 17 points and had nine assists, three rebounds and three blocks in the victory.
Paul had 19 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for Oklahoma City. Gilgeous-Alexander also had 19 points in the loss.
"That was a tough one," Paul said of the loss. "We fought hard all year. Obviously a lot of people doubted us, but we didn't doubt ourselves. We expected to win. That's the way we played all season long."
The Lakers face the Rockets in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinals series at 9 p.m. EDT Friday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex inside Walt Disney World Resort. The winner of that series will face the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the 2020 Western Conference finals.
