HOUSTON — James Harden scored 31 points, Dwight Howard had 16 points and 15 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 113-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997.
It was the ninth time that a team overcame a 3-1 series deficit to win an N.B.A. playoff series.
The Rockets needed an epic comeback to overcome a 19-point third-quarter deficit and force Game 7. No such heroics were needed Sunday when they were up by 17 after three and Howard opened the fourth quarter with a 3-point play to push it to 88-68.