Eric Gordon sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds left, and the Houston Rockets eked out a 98-94 victory over the visiting Golden State Warriors in game five of the western conference finals on Friday at Toyota Centre.

With the Rockets clinging to a two-point lead, Gordon sealed the victory at the foul line. The Warriors had an opportunity to pull even on their previous possession, but Draymond Green lost the basketball attempting a drive to the basket. Gordon recovered the loose ball.

The Rockets will take a 3-2 series lead back to Oakland, California, with a chance to close out the defending champions on Sunday (AEST).

Houston won game five despite James Harden missing all 11 of his three-point attempts while finishing with 19 points on five-of-21 shooting. He also committed six turnovers.

The Rockets' other leader, Chris Paul, was on the bench for the final 22.4 seconds due to a right hamstring injury. Paul scored 18 points on six-of-12 shooting in the second half after scoring two points and missing all seven of his field-goal attempts before half-time.