HOUSTON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The Oklahoma City Thunder fought off the Houston Rockets' late rally to beat the latter 104-101 on Saturday night for a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.
Kevin Durant led with 41 points and 14 rebounds in the Thunder's first game without the injured Russell Westbrook, while Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder led by 26 points in the first half but blew off its monster lead after a big-third quarter rally by the Rockets put them within striking distance.
The Rockets regained the lead with 3.45 minutes to go. But Durant hit a 3-pointer seconds later to put the Thunder on top 100-99.
A turnover by James Harden gave the Thunder the ball back and Derek Fisher made two free throws to push the lead to 3. The Rockets' James Harden made a layup, but Reggie Jackson hit two more free throws after that.
The Rockets had a last chance, but Carlos Delfino's 3-pointer fell short.
The Rockets got 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists from leading scorer Harden, and 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds from Chandler Parsons.