Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief after their franchise-record 19th 3-pointer of the night. They couldn’t let it out after a 14-point lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, nor could they after J.J. Redick reached a career-high 35-point mark with 10 seconds left.
That sigh of relief would only come after their 22nd 3-pointer, after Redick scored his 40th points of the night and after the last seconds ticked away in overtime against a Rockets team the Clippers know all too well can threaten with any time left on the clock in a 140-132 win.
Next Game: 1/21
“(Redick)’s just been on fire,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “You could see it early. There was a purpose about him today. He plays like that all the time, but I think J.J., he was our spirit today. You could see it. He was tired of losing to them … it was personal for him.”
The Rockets squeezed out every last second of the 48 minutes of regulation on a night the Clippers couldn’t miss from deep. The Clippers went 22-for-37 from long range, with Redick tying the Clippers franchise record with nine 3-pointers.
But it took extra time for the Clippers to finish the Rockets off.
While the Clippers got going from deep, Houston was taking advantage inside and at the line. The Rockets shot 52 free-throw attempts and made 64 points in the paint, then got some clutch 3-pointers from Marcus Thornton with seconds remaining while Redick was making free throws at the other end.
Redick made both free throws with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter to take a three-point lead when Thornton hit his third 3-pointer of the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. There, the Clippers kept hitting from deep.
Less than a minute and a half into overtime, the Clippers already hit two 3-pointers for a six-point lead, one apiece from Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick. A third from Chris Paul would give the Clippers a seven-point lead and finally enough breathing room to finish the Rockets off from the line.
Redick finished 9-for-12 from 3-point range and went 9-for-9 from the line. Paul had 28 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. The two guards combined to start 6-for-6 from 3-point range before the first quarter even ended.
In addition to setting the franchise record for 3-pointers in a game, the Clippers also hit 12 first-half 3-pointers, setting a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half. The 12 3-pointers in the first half were more than they had in either two previous games this year against Houston.
