HOUSTON – San Antonio is heading to the Western Conference finals for the 13th time thanks to a player who has never been there.
The Spurs eliminated the sluggish James Harden and Houston Rockets with a 114-75 victory in Game 6 on Thursday behind a season-high 34 points from LaMarcus Aldridge in a game they played without All-Star Kawhi Leonard.
Aldridge, who is in his 11th season and second in San Antonio, had failed to get out of the second round in his previous six postseason trips. He added 12 rebounds in his second big game of the Western Conference semifinal series, picking up the scoring slack with Leonard out after rolling his ankle in San Antonio's overtime victory in Game 5 Tuesday.
"He's really turned it on," coach Gregg Popovich said. "Demanded the ball, got in good position. ... He was wonderful on the boards."
The Spurs were up by 19 by halftime in a game that was over quickly. They reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since winning the title in 2014, and they'll face the Golden State Warriors.
Trevor Ariza led Houston with 20 points on a night when MVP hopeful Harden capped his stellar season by tying a season low with 10 points on 2-for-11 shooting before fouling out with 3:15 left.
A somber Harden was clear about who was to blame.
"Everything falls on my shoulders," he said. "I take responsibility for it, both ends of the floor."
