Page 20 - aruba-today-20170513

A20 SPORTS
Saturday 13 May 2017
Spurs rout James Harden,

Rockets 114-75 to win series

By KRISTIE RIEKEN tonight and I got into my of the fourth to make it 94-
AP Sports Writer rhythm early and after that 64 and send many of the
HOUSTON (AP) — San Anto- I was good to go.” home fans streaming to the
nio is heading to the West- The Spurs were up by 19 exits.
ern Conference finals for by halftime in a game Already without veteran
the 13th time thanks to a that was over quickly, and Tony Parker, who suffered a
player who has never been didn’t let up to reach the season-ending quadriceps
there. Western Conference finals injury in Game 2, the Spurs
San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, left, dribbles as The Spurs eliminated the for the first time since win- looked to be the underdog
Houston Rockets center Clint Capela defends during the first sluggish James Harden ning the title in 2014. The entering this one without
half in Game 6 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff se- and Houston Rockets with 4-2 series win sends them to Leonard’s scoring and de-
ries, Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Houston. a 114-75 victory in Game 6 conference finals against fense.
Associated Press
on Thursday night behind a the Golden State Warriors. Instead, things went wrong
season-high 34 points from Trevor Ariza led Houston early for the Rockets with
LaMarcus Aldridge in a with 20 points on a night Aldridge scoring 10 points
game they played without when MVP hopeful Harden in the first quarter as San
All-Star Kawhi Leonard. capped his stellar season Antonio dashed out to a
Aldridge, who is in his 11th by tying a season low with 31-24. Houston was already
season and second in San 10 points on 2-of-11 shoot- down 50-29 when Harden
Antonio, had failed to get ing before fouling out with took his first shot midway
out of the second round in 3:15 left. through the second quar-
his previous six postseason A somber Harden was clear ter. He made that 3-pointer
trips. about who was to blame to whittle the lead a bit, but
He added 12 rebounds in for the loss. it didn’t get the Rockets
his second big game of the “Everything falls on my going.
Western Conference semi- shoulders,” he said. “I take The Spurs opened the third
final series to pick up the responsibility for it, both quarter with an 8-1 run, with
scoring slack with Leonard ends of the floor. It’s tough, six points from Aldridge, to
out after rolling his ankle in especially the way we lost extend their already big
San Antonio’s overtime vic- at home for Game 6. But it lead to 69-43 with about 9
tory in Game 5 on Tuesday happened and we move 1/2 minutes left.
night. forward.” The Rockets used a 7-2
“He’s really turned it on,” Houston coach Mike spurt after that with 3-point-
coach Gregg Popovich D’Antoni wasn’t sure if the ers from Ariza and Eric Gor-
said. “Demanded the ball, disappointment of losing don to cut the lead to 71-50
got in good position ... a winnable Game 5 could with about seven minutes
he was wonderful on the have lingered with his team remaining in the third.
boards and of course he and contributed to this em- A 3-pointer by Harden not
passes it really, really well barrassing blowout. long after that got Houston
and gets it moving for us.” “It could, “he said. “I’ve within 20, but San Antonio
Aldridge became the first been on both sides of this scored the next four points
Spur to score 34 points with thing. Sometimes life hits to make it 77-53 a couple
12 rebounds in a playoff you in the face. No matter of minutes later.
game since Tim Duncan what it was, we just didn’t Houston, which relied on its
against Phoenix in 2008. have it tonight.” 3-point shooting to get this
“I just touched it a little bit Jonathon Simmons filled in far, couldn’t make shots
more tonight so I had a nicely for Leonard, scoring from long-range going 13
chance to figure it out,” Al- 18 points and hounding the of 40. But the Rockets also
dridge said. “I was trying to Rockets on defense. had trouble scoring in gen-
be more dominant down San Antonio was up by 23 eral, making just 28.6 per-
there. So I was willing to after the third quarter and cent (22 of 77) of their shots
take some contested shots scored the first seven points overall.q
Orioles’ Adam Jones donates

$20K to Negro Leagues museum

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) Saturday before the Orioles 1 in Boston touched off a
— Baltimore Orioles out- continue their series against discussion of racism across
fielder Adam Jones, the the Kansas City Royals. the sports landscape.
target of racial taunts dur- The museum founded by Major League Baseball
ing a recent game in Bos- a group of former Negro is reviewing security pro-
ton, has donated $20,000 Leagues stars is located in tocols at all 30 of its sta-
to the Negro Leagues the historic 18th and Vine diums, and the Red Sox
Baseball Museum in Kansas district, a hub of black cul- banished a fan from Fen-
City, Missouri. ture in Kansas City during way Park for using a racial
Jones plans to visit the mu- the first half of the 20th cen- slur against another fan
seum and speak with its tury. in a separate incident.q
president, Bob Kendrick, on The abuse of Jones on May