The Rockets made an epic 3-1 comeback in last seasons playoffs against the Clippers and they showed here that the comenack was no fluke by winnin a big game on the road. The demise of James Harden was well publicized last week and it was downright wrong, as he put together another huge game on Saturday. The Clippers played this game without point guard Chris Paul who was dealing with a groin injury and that clearly hampered them here in the loss.
Houston started off the season with three-straight 20-point losses, but they appear to be out of that swoon at this point with four-straight wins. They have scored 110 points or more in all four wins and that can be attributed to James Hardan taking over the offense. Harden is clearly back to top form, as he has dropped 89 points over the last two nights. This was the second half of a back-to-back and it’s a great sign for Houston to see them play so well in that scenario against a team like the Clippers. They even got to rest Dwight Howard on Friday night and that proved to be crucial for this game, as he tallied 20 points and 20 rebounds in the win. The Rockets will have a few days off and look to keep that winning-streak alive against the winless Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday,
The Clippers had to play this game without their point guard Chris Paul and it was just too difficult for them to function fully without their playmaker. Austin Rivers filled in for Paul and put up 10 points and one assist in the loss. The Clippers were led Blake Griffin, who totaled 35 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the loss. One stat that coach Doc Rivers will love is that all 10 players who played more than a single a minute in this game recorded an assist in the absence of assist-master Chris Paul. The next game on tap for the Clippers is against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.
