Having not only been knocked out of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets last year, but having also lost to them twice this year too, the Los Angeles Clippers had a point to prove on Monday evening, and were nearly embarrassed after giving up a 14 point lead. However, the Clippers bounced back from their weekend defeat to the Sacramento Kings, scoring 18 in overtime to steal the win.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day had certainly produced some impressive games, with the Golden State Warriors demolishing the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-98 earlier in the evening, but the best was saved until last, with the Clippers hitting a franchise-record 22 three-pointers.
DeAndre Jordan returned for the first time in 2 games to hit a double double of 16 points and 15 assists, having sunk six of his seven field goals attempted. Point Guard Chris Paul shot 28, as well as getting 12 assists, six rebounds, and six steals, but sharp-shooter J.J. Redick took the praise, as he hit a career-high 40 points, coupled with two assists and a single rebound. Paul Pierce also hit 12, with Jamal Crawford and Wesley Johnson coming off the bench to hit double figures, with 17 and 11 points respectively. As a team they shot an unbelievable 59.5 percent of their three-pointers attempted, on top of a 51.6 percent accuracy overall.
Houston Rockets' star man was Dwight Howard, who added to already impressive 36 points with a career-high 26 rebounds. This was Howard's tenth straight double double, which was already achieved by the end of second quarter, by which point he had 13 points and 15 rebounds. James Harden chipped in with 20, much lower than his average points haul of 27.5 per game this season. Small Forward Trevor Ariza also hit 18 points, with substitute Marcus Thornton grabbing 23 points and five assists from the bench. Overall the Rockets hit exactly 50 percent of their 88 field goals attempts, but sunk just 34.4 percent of their three-pointers.
Redick started the game as he meant to go on, continuing his record of scoring high in the first quarter, as he sunk 15 points, including three consecutive shots from beyond the arc. Despite valiant play by the Rockets, they were blown out of the water, and were down 21-33.
The Texan side enjoyed a much better second quarter however, Howard hitting eight rebounds alongside a cool 27-foot shot from James Harden. The Clippers meanwhile showed the depth of their franchise, with both Crawford and Johnson chipping in, the best of those being a driving lay-up from Crawford, assisted by Johnson himself. It was enough from the Clippers to retain their lead, with it only being cut to seven, as the Rockets hit 31 for the quarter.
The Clippers found their feet again after the half time break, with Doc Rivers' side hitting a game-high 35 points for the quarter. J.J. Redick hit two more three-pointers and small forward Paul Pierce shot eight of his eventual 12 points in the third. Harden was reliable from the free throw line to score seven for the quarter, but his side were still down 14 going into the fourth, the scores sitting at 80-94.
Having trailed for most of the game, the Rockets found their A-game in the final quarter, hitting a game-high 42 points to draw the sides level late on. Redick has sunk two free throws with 10 seconds left, but Marcus Thornton hit this third three-pointer of the quarter to tie the game with seconds to spare.
Redick continued to dominance of the game into overtime, as the Clippers avoided back-to-back losses thanks to his ninth three, on top of points from Crawford, and Chris Paul, to take the game 132-140.
Next Up:
Los Angeles Clippers: 01/21/16 at Cleveland Cavaliers.
Houston Rockets: 01/20/16 host Detroit Pistons.