Rockets-Clippers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 04 2012 2:41AM

Blake Griffin and Chris Paul are giving the Los Angeles Clippers an impressive one-two scoring punch, but defense has held the key to whether the Clippers win or lose.

The Clippers could use another strong defensive performance when they host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Griffin's 26.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game are both tops on Los Angeles (2-2), while Paul averages a team-high 9.8 assists and his 15.5 points per game rank second to Griffin.

While Griffin and Paul have been outstanding on the offensive end, the Clippers' defense has been erratic, allowing an average of 87.0 points in two victories but 114.5 in their two defeats.

They played well defensively in Sunday's 93-88 victory over previously winless Portland, collecting a season-high 11 steals while keeping the Trail Blazers under 100 points for the first time this season.

"We were all over the place, diving for loose balls, scrapping, getting steals and getting out on the break," Griffin said. "With two not-so-solid defensive games, it's good to come out and play like this."

The Clippers may need another staunch defensive effort against Houston (2-3), which averages 97.4 points. However, the Rockets are surrendering 98.8 points per game and allowing the opposition to shoot a league-high 48.3 percent from the field.

Paul has enjoyed success against the Rockets, averaging 20.6 points and 10.0 assists in his last 16 meetings - all with New Orleans.

The Clippers dropped three of four to the Rockets last season, splitting two meetings at Staples Center as Griffin totaled 44 points and 32 rebounds. Los Angeles, though, has won just three of its last 15 home games against Houston.

The Rockets are playing at Staples Center for a second straight night after falling 108-99 to the Lakers on Tuesday. They conclude their three-game road trip at Oklahoma City on Friday, opening a home-and-home set with the Thunder.

Coach Kevin McHale is concerned with Houston's defensive play after the Lakers shot 52.6 percent.

"We were trying to get our guys to come over and be more aggressive, but we haven't yet gotten to the point where we're trusting everybody on defense to come over," McHale said. "It's still a process."

Kyle Lowry enjoyed perhaps his best overall performance of 2011-12 in Tuesday's loss. The point guard came just shy of a triple-double, getting season highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds while adding nine assists. It was a dramatic improvement from his season-low two points and 0-for-6 field-goal shooting effort in Saturday's 95-84 victory over Atlanta, though he did match a career-best with 18 assists in that contest.

Kevin Martin looks to bounce back from his 5-for-17 shooting performance - 1 for 8 from 3-point range - against the Lakers. Martin finished with 12 points after averaging 24.3 and shooting 54.2 percent from the floor over his previous three games.

Houston may be without swingman Courtney Lee, who left Tuesday's game in the fourth quarter after injuring his calf on a non-contact play.

The Clippers, meanwhile, may have Chauncey Billups back after he missed two games with a sore right groin. The 35-year-old point guard is averaging 16.0 points through two games.

Paul, Griffin help Clippers rout Rockets 117-89

Posted Jan 05 2012 2:26AM

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Clippers are more than just Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and a no-name supporting cast.

Ask the Houston Rockets.

Griffin had 22 points and nine rebounds before sitting out most of the fourth quarter, Paul added 20 points and 10 assists, and the Clippers cruised to a 117-89 victory over Houston on Wednesday night.

But it was the combined efforts of Chauncey Billups, DeAndre Jordan, Caron Butler and reserve guard Randy Foye that helped turn the game into a laugher.

"We have so many weapons. And when guys are hitting shots, it's tough to stop us," Griffin said. "With Chauncey and Caron (Butler) and D.J. at the rim, it's hard to guard all those things. So most of the time we get open looks and high-percentage shots. The key is just not forcing shots."

Paul was 9 for 14 from the field and had three steals, extending his streak to 14 consecutive games with at least one. Foye locked it up by scoring 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Jordan had eight rebounds and seven points in 28 minutes, failing to block an opponents' shot for the first time in his last 19 games.

Billups returned to the lineup, playing his first home game with the Clippers after sitting out two because of a sore groin. He scored 13 points in 22 minutes. The five-time All-Star, claimed from the New York Knicks in a waiver auction Dec. 12, averaged 16 points in his first two games with the club.

"He just gives us another solid guard - and a great guard," Griffin said. "He always takes care of the ball, he gets good shots and gets everyone else involved. Having a guy like that, it's hard to put a price on that."

Billups was instrumental in the Clippers holding Kevin Martin to 14 points, after he averaged 23.8 over his previous four games. Martin took only nine shots in 25 1/2 minutes.

"It was a team thing, and it started with Chauncey," Griffin said. "But every time Martin got in the lane, DeAndre was making him take tough shots. Martin is a great player. Tonight he missed a few shots that he normally hits. We were fortunate, but we did a good job on him."

Kyle Lowry had 17 points and five assists for the Rockets, who won 25 of their previous 31 games against the Clippers and held them under 100 points in 14 of the previous 15 meetings. Houston played without reserve swingman Courtney Lee, who injured his right calf Tuesday night in a 108-99 loss to the Lakers.

"We struggled with everything tonight," forward Luis Scola said. "We came in here and weren't ready to play, and this is what happens when you don't play hard. I don't know how to explain it. What you do about it the next game shows what kind of team you are."

Houston's two best defensive efforts last season - in terms of lowest field goal percentage by an opponent - were against the Clippers. Los Angeles shot 36.4 percent in a 96-83 loss, and 34.7 percent in a 99-78 defeat.

"We made mistakes offensively and defensively," Lowry said. "It's just something we've got to figure out. We can't have nights like this. It was a terrible day for us."

Paul, who averaged 20.6 points and 10.0 assists in his previous 16 games against Houston while playing for the New Orleans Hornets, had 11 points and six assists in the first quarter to help the Clippers build a 67-55 halftime lead. Los Angeles ended the half shooting 67.5 percent while committing four of its seven turnovers.

Reserve guard Ryan Gomes beat the first-quarter buzzer with a 17-footer from the left baseline for a 41-26 margin. The Rockets narrowed the gap to 47-40 on Lowry's 3-pointer with 7:38 left in the second quarter, but got no closer the rest of the game as the Clippers pulled away in the third.

Griffin, who went to the bench for good with 10:17 remaining, finished with 16 points in the paint - including a dunk off an alley-oop pass from Paul to cap an 18-7 run and give Los Angeles a 85-62 cushion with 5:47 left in the third.

"It's been great playing with him," Paul said. "He is a workhorse. I saw that when I played against him, but playing on the same team with him, you really appreciate how hard he works. But it's our job as guards - me, Chauncey and the other guards - not to make him have to work so hard. We're here to make his job easier, so that's what we're going to continue to try to do."

Houston coach Kevin McHale emptied his bench during the ensuing timeout, and the Rockets scored the next four points. Moments later, Griffin and reserve center Samuel Dalembert nearly got into it under the Clippers' basket before they were separated by Jordan.

The fourth quarter became a showcase for Foye, who scored 10 points in the first 3:42 to help the Clippers increase a 15-point lead to 102-76. He added a layup to make it a 30-point advantage with 5:07 to play.

Notes: Sitting in the second row across from the Rockets' bench were Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser, who are in a group that is trying to purchase the Dodgers from Frank McCourt. Among their competition is Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. ... Rockets reserve F Marcus Morris, the 14th pick in the draft, has played only 17 minutes in the team's first six games. Twin brother Markieff, drafted one spot ahead of him by Phoenix, has played 117 minutes through the Suns' first six games. ... This is the fifth time the Rockets have played the Clippers and Lakers back-to-back at Staples Center on the same trip since the building opened in 1999-00, and the first time they lost both. They came out with a split the other four times.

Notebook: Clippers 117, Rockets 89

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 5, 2012 2:02AM

THE FACTS: The warm weather that's enveloped Southern California in recent days didn't compare to the burn the Clippers put on the Rockets on Wednesday night. The Clippers shot 70 percent from the floor through the first 2 1/2 quarters, good enough to pull away for a 117-89 victory at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "We jumped on them early in the first quarter. We were shooting the ball very well and got some easy baskets. I thought we moved the ball well tonight , we had 30 assists and only seven turnovers."
-- Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro.

THE STAT: The Clippers shot such a high percentage because they owned the paint. They finished with 62 points down low on 31-for-39 shooting. Clippers power forward Blake Griffin did most of the damage in the key with 22 points, but point guard Chris Paul also scored several of his 20 points on penetration into the lane.

TURNING POINT: Through the first six minutes, it appeared the first team to 90 points might win the game, but then the Clippers outscored Houston 24-11 over the final 5:26 of opening period to take a 15-point lead. The Rockets couldn't creep closer than seven the rest of the way. Seven players scored for Clippers during the deciding run, led by Paul with nine points and four of his 10 assists.

HOT: The Clippers shot 47-for-81 from the field (58 percent), but that's mild compared to how they shot the ball during the first half and into the second. Midway through the third quarter, they were still hitting on 70 percent of their shots (35-for-50), on pace to break the franchise record of 69.3 percent, set 14 years ago against the Raptors. They finally cooled off late in the third, missing seven of their final eight shots.

NOT: None of the Houston starters managed more than three rebounds. Likely because there were so few rebounds to grab.

GOOD MOVE: Even though the lead had been trimmed from 23 points to 17, Del Negro began substituting veteran starters Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler with a little less than three minutes remaining in the third quarter. He took Paul out of the game at the end of the third and Griffin exited for good early in the fourth, yet the reserves still outscored Houston down the stretch, 23-14. Rockets coach Kevin McHale made the decision easier by keeping his top seven players on the bench the entire fourth quarter.

BAD MOVE: With the Clippers leading by 23 points with about eight minutes remaining, Houston second-year forward Patrick Patterson went into the first row behind the Clippers basket after fouling Randy Foye on a breakaway layup. Good intentions, bad timing.

QUOTABLE II: "We didn't do anything that even gave us a chance to be in the game. I mean, they had a 40-point first quarter, it started right from there."
-- Houston coach Kevin McHale.

NOTABLE: Lost in the blazing-hot shooting performance by the Clippers in the first half was a pretty good shooting stretch for the Rockets as well. Before missing their final five shots of the first half, they were shooing 22-for-35 for a 62.9 percent clip. Still, they trailed by 12 at the break ... Billups returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games with a groin injury .. Houston reserve guard Courtney Lee sat out with an injured right calf, which occurred early in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's loss against the Lakers ... The Clippers are over .500 after five games for the first time since the 2007-08 season, when they won their first four games.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Saturday vs. Bucks, Tuesday @ Portland, Jan. 11 vs. Miami. For the Rockets, Friday @ Oklahoma City, Saturday vs. Oklahoma City, Tuesday @ Charlotte.

• Rockets: Lee, Morris
• Clippers: Bledsoe

• Rockets: --
• Clippers: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #22 Bill Spooner, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #73 Tre Maddox
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:09