Rockets 98, Clippers 81: Chandler Parsons scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Omer Asik collected 13 and 12 as host Houston ended a five-game losing streak against Los Angeles despite playing without leading scorer James Harden.
Jeremy Lin and Francisco Garcia added 15 points apiece for the Rockets, who snapped a two-game skid and preserved their spot in seventh place in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games behind Golden State. Five players scored in double figures to offset the absence of Harden (sore right foot), who missed his third game this season.
Chris Paul scored 19 points and Jamal Crawford added 15 off the bench for the Clippers, who were denied their franchise-record 50th victory for a second consecutive night. Los Angeles has lost seven of its last 13 after winning eight of its previous nine.
The Rockets trailed by one after a quarter but used a 12-1 run in the second to take control and held a 55-50 halftime lead. Houston broke it open by outscoring the Clippers 30-13 in the third quarter while holding Los Angeles to 6-for-21 shooting during the period.
The Clippers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to get within 85-71, but Carlos Delfino's three-point play snapped Houston's drought and the Rockets coasted to the finish. Greg Smith started at power forward for Houston and helped keep Blake Griffin in check, holding the Clippers' leading scorer to 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Clippers C DeAndre Jordan went 4-for-5 and is shooting 84.6 percent (55-for-65) in the month of March. His miss in the first quarter snapped a streak of 20 consecutive field goals. … Garcia's 15 points are his most in nine games since the Rockets acquired him from Sacramento. He had missed the previous three games because of illness. … Clippers SF Matt Barnes limped off with a sprained left ankle with 8:07 left and did not return.
L.A. Clippers | Houston | |
Chris Paul 19 | Scoring | Francisco Garcia 15 |
Chris Paul 7 | Assists | Chandler Parsons 4 |
Ryan Hollins 8 | Rebounds | Omer Asik 12 |
Chris Paul 3 | Free Throws Made | Jeremy Lin 6 |
Eric Bledsoe 3 | Steals | James Anderson 2 |
Ryan Hollins 3 | Blocks | Omer Asik 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
L.A. Clippers | 81 | 39.7 | 7-22 | 12-14 | 15 | 38 | 7 | 10 | 19 |
Houston | 98 | 43.8 | 9-24 | 19-27 | 17 | 48 | 5 | 7 | 22 |