HOUSTON -- When asked to reveal the secret to overcome adversity, Houston guard James Harden didn't hesitate in drawing a parallel between the injury adversity that engulfed the Rockets during the regular season and the stunning turn of events of the last six days.

Forward Trevor Ariza buried a corner 3-pointer with 55.8 seconds left and the Rockets completed an amazing comeback from a 3-1 series deficit to claim Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers 113-100 on Sunday at Toyota Center.

Harden finished with 31 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals while center Dwight Howard added a double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds. But it was Ariza who helped stabilize the shaky Rockets late, converting his clutch shot after the Clippers cut a 20-point deficit to 104-96 on a DeAndre Jordan slam dunk with 1:26 left to play.

Ariza had 22 points (hitting 6-of-12 3s) and seven rebounds as the Rockets won the final three games of the series to set a date opposite the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals. The Rockets claimed the Southwest Division title despite an avalanche of maladies, so their becoming the ninth team to rally from a 3-1 deficit is no shock.

"Being down 19 on the road (in the third quarter of Game 6), it's easy to give in and say, 'Maybe next year,'" Harden said. "But the injuries this year, throughout the entire year, made us fight through adversity no matter what. We've always been short or down a man, had to find a way to get through, find a way to fight, and it was another case of us being down 3-1."

The Clippers again failed to advance beyond the second round, having never done so in franchise history. Guard Chris Paul played brilliantly in defeat with 26 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Forward Blake Griffin added 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while Jordan paired 16 points with 17 boards.

But the Clippers committed 18 turnovers, seven in a sporadic first quarter, and never led. They trailed from the 7:54 mark of the first on.

"In a seventh game you feel pressure, and the one thing you don't want to do is let a home team get the lead," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "If it's two or three that's one thing, but once you get that double-digit lead -- you're at home, you're comfortable. They made shots.

"You could see it from the outset with some of the turnovers. Our guys wanted to win so badly they were trying to do it all on their own, each guy."

As they did in Game 6, the Rockets turned to their bench to keep them afloat. This time it was veteran guard Pablo Prigioni, who had four points, two steals and a critical offensive rebound in the third quarter.

Houston had surrendered 12 points off its 48-33 lead after the Clippers opened the second half with an 11-4 run. Prigioni followed a Harden dunk with a timely 3, and his handiwork defensively enabled to Rockets to methodically rebuild their advantage entering the fourth.

The Clippers made just two field goals over the last 3:57 of the third period, and during that stretch the Rockets got an Ariza 3, a Harden fast break layup, and a Harden step-back, buzzer-beater for an 85-68 lead.

"Everybody that stepped on the floor really contributed," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said.

After a scoreless second period Harden tallied 10 points in the third, a nice bookend to his 12-point opening period. He added nine points from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to thwart a series of desperate pushes from the Clippers, most engineered by the irrepressible Paul.

But the hole Los Angeles dug for itself in the first quarter proved too steep from which to escape. And, for a franchise steeped in ignominious history, this series collapse ranks alongside a multitude of other failures.

"It's a long summer," Paul said. "It's getting old, too, to tell you the truth."

NOTES: Rockets coach Kevin McHale and Clippers coach Doc Rivers met as players in Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals. Their memories of the Celtics' 118-116 victory over Rivers' Hawks were similar. "I was guarding Dominique (Wilkins) and he was going off on me," said McHale, who finished with 33 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. "Dominique was guarding Larry (Bird) and Larry was going off on him, and I said, 'I need to guard Tree Rollins for a while.'" Said Rivers, who posted 16 points and 18 assists for Atlanta: "I would take Dominique (against Houston). I just don't want Larry to play." ... The Rockets were 3-1 in home Game 7s prior to Sunday, losing their previous contest against the Utah Jazz 103-99 in the first round in 2007. ... Rivers noted a difference between the seven-game series Los Angeles played against the Spurs in the first round and this showdown with the Rockets. "This series has been played very uneven, from both teams," Rivers said. "I wish I could tell you why that's happened, but it has happened."