THE GOLDEN STATE Warriors got the job done without star Stephen Curry, advancing in the NBA play-offs by cruising past the Houston Rockets.
Curry is sidelined with a knee injury, but the Warriors were still far too good for the Rockets in a 114-81 win in game five at Oracle Arena on Wednesday completing a 4-1 series victory.
Klay Thompson was seven-for-11 from three-point range as he finished with 27 points, while Shaun Livingston had 16 points.
Draymond Green (15 points) and Brandon Rush (15) also managed double-digits in points.
James Harden had a game-high 35 points for the Rockets and Dwight Howard pulled down 21 rebounds, but they were well beaten.
Awaiting the Warriors in the Western Conference semi-finals are either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Trail Blazers took a 3-2 lead in that series with a 108-98 victory at the Staples Center.
C.J. McCollum had a game-high 27 points for the victors, while Mason Plumlee (10 points and 15 rebounds) and Maurice Harkless (19 and 10) had double-doubles.
The Clippers were without injured pair Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, with DeAndre Jordan having a double-double of 16 points and 17 rebounds.
Courtney Lee hit a three-pointer with 25.2 seconds left to see the Charlotte Hornets past the Miami Heat 90-88 as they also took a 3-2 series lead.
Dwyane Wade finished with a game-high 25 points for the Heat, who were outscored 25-17 in the fourth quarter.
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