The evergreen Tim Duncan continued his remarkable play-off form to inspire reigning champions the San Antonio Spurs past the Los Angeles Clippers 111-107 in game five of their Western Conference first-round matchup.

Duncan, 39, posted his fourth double-double of the series after finishing with 21 points - 12 of those in the second half - and 11 rebounds as the Spurs claimed a 3-2 lead at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Clippers reduced the deficit to one point with one minute remaining in the final quarter following a 7-1 run but the home team's chances of completing their comeback were extinguished when DeAndre Jordan was called for basketball interference after tipping in Blake Griffin's shot with 4.3 seconds left on the clock.

Griffin led the Clippers with 30 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordan contributed 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Game six is in San Antonio on Thursday.

Awaiting either the Spurs or the Clippers are the Houston Rockets, who booked their spot in the Western Conference semi-finals after a 103-94 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

James Harden had a game-high 28 points and Dwight Howard finished with a double-double of 19 rebounds and 18 points as the Rockets sealed a 4-1 series win.

Dirk Nowitzki (22 points and 14 rebounds) starred for the Mavs, but they started slowly and were unable to recover.

Josh Smith contributed 20 points for the Rockets at Toyota Center, while Monta Ellis finished with a team-high 25 for Dallas.