CLIPPERS 105, ROCKETS 103: Chris Paul had 28 points and 10 assists and hit the go-ahead basket in overtime as Los Angeles downed host Houston.
Paul hit the decisive basket with 50.6 seconds left and added a free throw with 4.9 ticks remaining. Houston’s Kevin Martin missed a 3-pointer and Samuel Dalembert’s putback at the buzzer was off the mark as the Rockets lost their third straight game.
Randy Foye scored 15 points, while Caron Butler, Blake Griffin and Mo Williams all tallied 14 points as the Clippers remained percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Pacific Division. Griffin added 11 rebounds.
Martin scored 25 points for Houston, which received 17 points and 12 rebounds from Dalembert and 16 points and 12 rebounds from Luis Scola.
The Rockets led 103-100 on Courtney Lee’s basket with 1:34 left in overtime and never scored again.
Dalembert hit one of two free throws with 18.1 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 97-97.
Kyle Lowry scored 14 points and Lee added 13 for Houston.
Paul scored 11 points in the third quarter and closed it with a 3-pointer to give the Clippers a 77-74 lead entering the final stanza.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Griffin has 22 double-doubles and had gone three straight games without recording one. … Houston was outrebounded for the 10th consecutive game. … Paul has scored 20 or more points in six of the last seven games. … Martin has scored 60 points over the last two games after averaging just 12.0 points over the previous three contests.
L.A. Clippers | Houston | |
Chris Paul 28 | Scoring | Kevin Martin 25 |
Chris Paul 10 | Assists | Kevin Martin 8 |
Blake Griffin 11 | Rebounds | Samuel Dalembert 12 |
Chris Paul 8 | Free Throws Made | Kevin Martin 10 |
Blake Griffin 2 | Steals | Luis Scola 2 |
Blake Griffin 1 | Blocks | Samuel Dalembert 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
L.A. Clippers | 105 | 46.5 | 6-14 | 19-25 | 17 | 49 | 2 | 5 | 16 |
Houston | 103 | 43.0 | 10-20 | 19-24 | 19 | 43 | 3 | 9 | 12 |