March 1st, 2017

The Rockets could not be stopped from the 3-point line on Wednesday night at Staples Center.  Houston made 20 three-pointers in a 122-103 win over LA.

James Harden scored 26 points, Ryan Anderson added 23, and the Clippers were crushed on the boards 62-35.  Houston had 6 players in double figures.

Chris Paul had 16 points and 10 assists for the Clipps, and Blake Griffin had 17, but LA lost for the 3rd time in the last 4 games.  They had a decent start too, taking a 37-34 lead after the 1st quarter.

However, the 2nd quarter saw the Rockets start to pull away.  They made 11 of 24 three-pointers in the first half, to take a 70-58 lead into the locker room.

The Clippers made it 70-60, then the Rockets nailed 6 more three-pointers in just under 4 minutes to take a 93-69 lead.  LA was outscored 38-20 in the 3rd.

The Clipps would go on a 15-2 run in the 4th quarter but would get not closer than 111-93. With every 3-pointer the Rockets hit, the disbelief of the Clippers grew larger.

“We knew we needed to take them off the three-point line,” Chris Paul said. “We gave up too many threes tonight.”

The Clippers have been sliding since the All-Star break.  They are 1-3 with losses against the top 3 teams in the West (Golden State, San Antonio, and Houston), losing by an average of more than 10 points per game.

LA is stil 5th in the West after Utah lost on Wednesday night.  They still have time to build momentum before the playoffs now that their two stars are healthy and back in the lineup.  “Without making excuses, we’re still getting right,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “We just got our two guys [Chris Paul and Blake Griffin] back.

The Clippers will return to action on Friday at Milwaukee.