THE Houston Rockets finally hit their mark, out-shooting the Golden State Warriors in game four of the Western Conference finals on Monday to win their first game and toggle the series 3 – 1.

James Harden scored a career playoff-high 45 points as the Rockets led from start to finish avoiding elimination in the Western Conference finals with a 128-115 victory over the Warriors.

This was Harden’s fifth game this post season with at least 30 points.
The Rockets had a big lead after tying a playoff record with 45 points in the first quarter, before Stephen Curry landed on his head in a nasty spill midway the second quarter.
Curry was injured after he jumped in the air as Trevor Ariza was about to go up for a shot.
Ariza saw him and stopped abruptly, causing Curry to be upended in mid air when he crashed into Ariza’s shoulder.
Curry’s first field goal after returning to the game came in the fourth when he hit a three-point jump shot to bring the Warriors within six points, with eight minutes remaining in the game.
However, Harden would not be denied knocking down clutch shots to keep the Rockets’ hopes alive in the series.
The Warriors made 20 3-pointers and Houston had 17 to set an NBA record for most 3-pointers combined in a playoff game.
Dwight Howard had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets while Klay Thompson had 24 points and Curry added 23 for Golden State.
Game five is set for tomorrow in the Golden State.