Clippers-Rockets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 04 2012 12:05AM

An inability to slow down opponents in the paint has plagued the Houston Rockets of late.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, they know all too well how dominant the Los Angeles Clippers can be down low.

Hoping to avoid losing back-to-back home games for the first time in over a year, Houston tries to avenge an earlier blowout defeat to the Clippers on Sunday night.

Ranking third from the bottom of the league with an average of 46.4 points allowed in the paint, the Rockets (21-16) have experienced plenty of difficulty in that area over their last two games. After surrendering 58 points in the paint during Wednesday's 104-83 loss at Utah, Houston fell 117-105 to Denver on Friday as the Nuggets scored 52 points in the lane.

The Rockets have been outrebounded in nine consecutive games and gave up 19 offensive boards Friday.

"They threw it up there, and then they threw us out of the lane and got it (the ball)," coach Kevin McHale told the league's official website. " ... We've had two games in a row where they've (the opponent) out-toughed us."

Houston also had trouble slowing down the Clippers (21-13) inside during a 117-89 road loss Jan. 4. Los Angeles recorded 62 points in the paint and shot a season-high 57.3 percent from the field.

"We struggled with everything," Rockets forward Luis Scola said following that contest. "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."

The Clippers, in contrast, failed to get much going in Friday's 81-78 loss at Phoenix. Los Angeles shot 36.8 percent from the floor and matched its second-lowest scoring output of the season.

"I don't know what it is. I don't know if it was both of us coming off a game (the night before)," said Chris Paul, who finished with 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting. "We're not going to make any excuses or whatever. At the end of the day we gave ourselves the opportunity to win."

Leading the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), Blake Griffin scored 17 on a season-worst 6 of 19 (31.6 percent) from the field.

"I felt like we were really dead and didn't have it," he said. "There was not a lot of energy."

In the midst of a six-game road swing, Los Angeles hasn't posted back-to-back victories over Houston since a five-game run in the series spanning the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.

The Rockets, who have compiled a 15-5 record at home this season, haven't lost two in a row on their own court since Feb. 8 and 12, 2011.

The Clippers have dropped seven of eight and 13 of 16 in Houston.

Kevin Martin made six 3's and scored a season-high 35 points Friday for the Rockets, bouncing back from a six-point effort in the loss to Utah two days earlier. He is, however, averaging just 14.0 points lifetime versus the Clippers - his second-lowest mark against any opponent.

Paul has 28 as Clippers top Rockets 105-103 in OT

By CHRIS DUNCAN
Posted Mar 04 2012 11:44PM

HOUSTON (AP) There were 20 ties and 24 lead changes before Chris Paul finally closed out a sorely needed victory for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul scored on a drive and made a free throw in the final minute of overtime, lifting Los Angeles to a 105-103 victory at Houston on Sunday night.

Neither team led by more than seven points, but Paul proved to be too much for the Rockets to overcome. The five-time All-Star point guard finished with 28 points and 10 assists.

The Clippers held the Rockets scoreless over the last 90 seconds, and Los Angeles beat Houston for just the eighth time in the last 33 meetings.

"Both teams made some big plays, but ultimately, we got some big stops to get us the win," Paul said.

Blake Griffin added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Randy Foye had 15 points and Caron Butler and Mo Williams had 14 apiece for the Clippers, who won for the third time in seven games.

"This was a win we needed," Griffin said. "It is a relief."

Kevin Martin scored 25 points, and Samuel Dalembert and Luis Scola each grabbed 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who have lost three in a row after winning four straight.

"Both teams were playing well," Martin said. "I think that's why it hurts the most. We have been harping over coming out and setting a tone, effort-wise. We did everything right, except for one thing."

The teams traded the lead six times over the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, and were tied at 97 in the closing seconds. Paul, guarded by Courtney Lee, let the clock wind down, but he couldn't get a shot off before the final buzzer, forcing overtime.

The lead changed hands three more times early in overtime before Lee beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:34 left to put the Rockets up 103-100.

Paul dished to Griffin for a powerful slam to cut the Clippers' deficit to one, then scored on a drive to put L.A. back on top with 51 seconds to go.

Kevin Martin missed a 3-point try, Kenyon Martin rebounded and Paul made a free throw with 4.9 seconds remaining for a 105-103 lead. Martin missed another 3-point try on Houston's final play.

"The shot was just off by about a centimeter," Kevin Martin said.

The Clippers outrebounded Houston 49-43 to make up for 16 turnovers. L.A. was outrebounded in its previous two games, and coach Vinny Del Negro made that a point of emphasis before Sunday's game.

"That was definitely something we need to control," Foye said. "We have to get in there and crash the boards."

Houston went 10 for 20 from 3-point range, but 37 for 86 overall.

"We had our chances in that game, so I'm not disappointed in our effort," Houston coach Kevin McHale said. "I just wish that when you have a team like that and you've got them on the ropes, you can't have any mistakes. We had a couple down the stretch, and it hurt us."

Griffin, shadowed by Scola early, missed his first three shots. Kevin Martin scored nine points and delivered four assists in the first quarter, and Houston led 30-25.

The Clippers rebounded better with Griffin on the bench for the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second quarter. DeAndre Jordan grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to put Los Angeles ahead 36-35 before Griffin returned.

Griffin swished a jumper from the wing a minute later, his first points. He was 1 for 6 from the field when he swept down the lane for a left-handed dunk to make it 40-all.

Dalembert scored 14 points and Kevin Martin had 12 in the first half, and Houston led 47-45 at the break.

Kyle Lowry drove for a layup early in the third quarter, collided with Jordan and landed hard on his left wrist. He stayed in the game and converted the resulting free throw, putting Houston up 55-52. Lowry took another hard spill and scored again a minute later, as Houston continued to attack the Clippers inside.

The Clippers went 10 for 13 from the free-throw line in the third quarter to build a small lead heading to the fourth.

NOTES: Griffin has 22 double-doubles this season. ... Paul has a steal in 39 consecutive games, the NBA's longest active streak. ... The Rockets open a five-game road trip in Boston on Tuesday. ... The Rockets have been outrebounded in 10 straight games.

Notebook: Clippers 105, Rockets 103

Posted Sunday March 4, 2012 11:36PM

By Matt Miller, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Los Angeles Clippers were reminded of how vital a superstar such as Chris Paul can be to their success in Sunday's victory over the Houston Rockets.

Paul scored 28 points, dished out 10 assists and made two critical plays in the closing moments of overtime to lift the Clippers to a 105-103 win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Paul was only one of six L.A. players to reach double figures, a group that included Blake Griffin (14 points, 11 boards) and Randy Foye (15 points on 6-for-7 shooting).

Kevin Martin poured in 25 points to lead the Rockets, but he missed 16 of 22 field-goal attempts, including a potential game-winning 3-pointer just before the final buzzer sounded. Samuel Dalembert (17 points, 12 rebounds) and Luis Scola (16 points, 12 boards) each added a double-double.

Houston (21-17) has lost three consecutive games overall and two in a row at home for the first time since Feb. 2011. The Clippers (22-13), meanwhile, have begun a six-game road trip with two victories in three contests.

QUOTABLE: "The ball is going to be in his [Paul's] hands [down the stretch], and he's going to keep coming. That's what I love about him. Mistakes are going to happen ... but he made enough plays when it mattered."
-- L.A. coach Vinny Del Negro

THE STAT: Houston was outrebounded for the 10th consecutive game, but it was the rebounding disparity in the second half that stood out from the rest of the contest. The Clippers beat the Rockets on the boards 27-20 overall and 19-14 defensively after halftime.

TURNING POINT: After the Rockets scored on back-to-back possessions to claim a 103-100 advantage with 1:34 remaining in overtime, Paul assisted Griffin on a dunk and nailed a short jump-shot to recapture the lead for the Clippers. Lowry fed the ball to a wide-open Martin on the perimeter with less than 10 seconds remaining, but his deep jumper did not fall through the hoop.

QUOTABLE II: "When you're playing a team like that and you've got them on the ropes, you can't make any mistakes, and we just made a couple [too many] down the stretch."
-- Houston coach Kevin McHale

TURNING POINT II: The Rockets held a 96-95 lead when Paul bulldozed Lowry out of his path to gain separation for a step-back jumper that put the Clippers ahead, 97-96, with 25.1 seconds left in regulation. Lowry found an open Scola during Houston's next possession, but Scola elected to pass the ball down low to Dalembert as defenders were closing. Dalembert drew a foul but made only one of two free-throw attempts, leaving the score deadlocked at 97 with 18.1 seconds remaining in the fourth. Paul ensured that the game would go to overtime when he lost his handle on the ball while attempting to juke Rockets reserve guard Courtney Lee.

QUOTABLE III: "The only thing I kept thinking about after regulation was, 'Who at home watching League Pass calling me a dummy?' That's what I do when I watch games and I see a guy who doesn't even get a shot off at the end of regulation."
-- Paul on the last play of the fourth period.

HOT: Houston received scoring from an unlikely source as Dalembert made eight of 14 shot attempts and reached 10 points for the first time in 15 games. Dalembert also pulled down 12 rebounds to record his first double-double since Jan. 15.

NOT: Butler could not break out of his recent shooting slump Sunday, finishing 4-for-12 from the field. Butler has averaged only 8.7 points on 31.7 percent (20-for-63) shooting from the field, including 33.3 percent (3-for-10) shooting from 3-point range, and 1.3 turnovers over his last six games.

GOOD MOVE: Paul's court vision did not fail him, as the 6-foot floor general worked around well-guarded pick-and-rolls by distributing the ball to open teammates on the perimeter. The Rockets were content with giving up the outside shot after the way they had been dominated inside over the last few games, but Paul helped generate several scoring opportunities from long range thanks to his adjustments and intelligent decisions against Houston's pick-and-roll defense.

BAD MOVE: Dalembert had made a huge impact on this game through the first 2 1/2 quarters, but he attempted to guard a far superior athlete in Griffin on a drive to the hoop and picked up his fourth foul about midway through the third period. The decision proved costly for Houston's best interior presence and his teammates, with Dalembert sitting on the bench for the next 11 minutes.

NOTABLE: Del Negro said after the game that guard Mo Williams suffered a thigh bruise but is unaware of the severity of the injury. ... Terrence Williams may be the Rockets' new backup small forward. The third-year swingman played significant minutes in a hotly contested game for the first time since early January. ... Paul has posted a points-assists double-double in 12 of his last 17 games against the Rockets. ... The Clippers won in Houston for just the second time in their last nine visits. ... L.A. improved to 7-4 on the road this season when trailing at halftime. ... The Clippers are now 14-2 when they score at least 100 points. ... L.A. was the second Rockets' opponent in the last nine games to score less than 46 points in the paint. ... Houston lost a game that was decided by less than three points for the first time this season. ... All five Rocket starters scored in double figures for only the second time this season.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Monday @ Minnesota, Wednesday @ New Jersey, Friday @ San Antonio. For the Rockets, Tuesday @ Boston, Wednesday @ Toronto, Saturday @ New Jersey.

• Clippers: Billups, Leslie
• Rockets: Hill, Thabeet

• Clippers: --
• Rockets: McHale

• Lead Changes: 24
• Times Tied: 20

• Arena: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #61 Courtney Kirkland, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 16646
• Duration: 2:43