National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 109, Houston 104
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, April 23, 2021
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #34 Kevin Cutler, #81 Simone Jelks
Attendance: 3313

Paul George finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds to pace the Los Angeles Clippers to their fourth consecutive win and 11th in the last 12 games, 109-104 over the host Houston Rockets on Friday.

Los Angeles (43-19) rallied from a seven-point deficit early in the fourth quarter with a spurt of four 3-pointers, three of which fueled an 11-2 run.

The Clippers' early fourth-quarter burst accounted for one-third of their total made 3-pointers on an uncharacteristic off-night for the NBA's best-shooting team from beyond the arc. They finished 12 of 34.

George went 3 of 10 from long range, while all three of Reggie Jackson's successful 3-point attempts came in the final period. Jackson finished 3-of-6 from distance and scored 13 of his 19 points in the fourth.

Jackson and George combined to score six unanswered points over a 1:30 stretch late in the fourth that effectively sealed the win for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles owned a 46-34 advantage for points in the paint, and turned 14 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points. Patrick Patterson grabbed four of his six total rebounds on the offensive end and finished with 12 points.

The short-handed Clippers, playing without Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley, Serge Ibaka and Rajon Rondo, had six scorers in double-figures. DeMarcus Cousins and Amir Coffey came off the bench for 11 and 10 points, and Ivica Zubac recorded 12 points and eight rebounds.

John Wall paced Houston (15-45) with 27 points. He found Christian Wood for a lob dunk for one of Wall's 13 assists, a play book-ended by a Kelly Olynyk 3-pointer and a Wood foul shot. The sequence pulled the Rockets within three points with just under a minute to play.

Olynyk, who finished with 23 points, attempted a would-be, game-tying 3-pointer with 10.8 seconds remaining that rimmed off. The Clippers then sealed the win by going 4 of 4 at the foul line in the final moments.

Wood scored 24 points and grabbed a game-high 19 rebounds.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
L.A. Clippers   Houston
Paul George 33 Scoring John Wall 27
Nicolas Batum 5 Assists John Wall 13
Paul George 14 Rebounds Christian Wood 19
Paul George 10 Free Throws Made John Wall 8
Paul George 2 Steals Kelly Olynyk 4
Nicolas Batum 2 Blocks Kenyon Martin Jr. 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
L.A. Clippers 109 40.2 12-34 19-23 22 58 3 8 14
Houston 104 40.4 13-42 19-22 24 47 5 7 14
Upcoming Games
  • Houston will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Rockets have a W/L % of .375 after a win and .205 after a loss.
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Clippers have a W/L % of .643 after a win and .800 after a loss.