Rockets-Clippers Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Mar 16 2012 5:12PM

After cruising through the first two months of the season, the Los Angeles Clippers seem to have lost some of their luster.

The Houston Rockets, in contrast, appear to be headed in the right direction.

Hoping to avoid a fourth loss in five games, Los Angeles looks to get back on track with a season series sweep of the visiting Rockets on Saturday.

The Clippers (24-18) started 19-9 but have since fallen back to earth, dropping nine of 14 and into the middle of the pack in the Western Conference playoff race.

Los Angeles hasn't looked anything like a postseason contender over the last week, during which it's been limited to a dismal 90.3 points per game in losing three of four.

The Clippers' offensive woes continued in Thursday's 91-87 loss to short-handed Phoenix. After taking an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter, Los Angeles scored a season-low 12 points over the final 12 minutes, failing to keep up with a Suns team playing without Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

"Coach came in and we talked about some things before we got in the showers," said Blake Griffin after a team-only meeting in the locker room that lasted over an hour . "It was very productive. We talked about our sense of urgency, our execution down the stretch and the way we approach games.

"When you get into a setting like that, you talk about things. I mean, it wasn't about pointing a finger at somebody. But if there's a problem and no one ever talks about it, it's not going to get better. So guys talked. And the more you talk, the more you figure things out ... We've got a good team and we've got to do better."

The Clippers should receive an offensive boost from Nick Young, who was acquired from Washington in Thursday's three-way deal with Denver. Young was averaging 16.6 points with the Wizards but isn't expected to be available until Tuesday.

The Rockets (24-20) were also busy prior to the trade deadline, dealing for veterans Marcus Camby from Portland and five-time NBA champion Derek Fisher from the Lakers. The 6-foot-11 Camby provides a much-needed interior defensive presence while it was expected that Fisher would provide valuable minutes with starting point guard Kyle Lowry sidelined for at least another two weeks with a bacterial infection.

But while Camby is happy about the trade - he's lived in Houston since 2005 - Fisher has yet to report. General manager Daryl Morey had little to say Friday about why Fisher hasn't shown up.

"Right now, I can just say that the trade obviously happened," Morey said.

Goran Dragic has shined with Lowry out, averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 assists while starting each of the last four games. The Rockets improved to 3-1 over that stretch with Wednesday's 107-87 win over Charlotte.

"(Starting) is much easier now," said Dragic, who had 14 points and 10 assists versus the Bobcats. "Maybe the first couple games you're a little bit nervous about how you're going to lead the team and everything but now you can see that you can do that stuff. Our players are great and playing well and hopefully we're going to keep winning."

The Rockets are averaging 107.5 points with Dragic running the show - well above their season mark of 98.1.

"We're just playing so unselfish," rookie Chandler Parsons said. "We're moving the ball and we're having fun ... we're having fun out there and it's been great."

Keeping things going Saturday, however, could prove difficult. Houston allowed the Clippers to shoot 57.3 percent from the floor in a 117-89 rout during its Jan. 4 visit to Staples Center.

Los Angeles also handed the Rockets a 105-103 overtime defeat in Houston on March 4. Kevin Martin, who scored 25 points in that game, has missed the last two with a shoulder injury and could sit again.

Courtney Lee is also uncertain to play after dislocating his left middle finger Wednesday.

Paul leads Clippers over Rockets 95-91

Posted Mar 17 2012 7:50PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) Chris Paul and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers were thrilled to have Chauncey Billups back on the bench with them - albeit with a single crutch and walking boot.

His return, and Paul's 12 points in the final 2:42 gave them the lift they needed to get a much-needed victory from the Houston Rockets.

Paul finished with 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 24.6 seconds left, leading the Clippers to a 95-91 win on Saturday and putting them within 2 1/2 games of the idle Lakers in the race for first place in the Pacific Division.

One of the happiest Clippers after the win was Billups.

Billups returned to Staples Center for the first time since undergoing season-ending surgery on Feb. 15 to have his torn Achilles tendon repaired.

"It was great," Paul said. "Chauncey's a guy I've been talking to every day, even when he's not here. So it's a lot better now to have him on the bench with me. I wish he would take that boot off and start playing again. We can use him."

Billups described the day as "bittersweet," adding: "I would just like to be walking in and putting my jersey on, of course, going out there and fighting with the guys. Obviously, I can't do that. But on the flip side, it's just really good to see the guys and see them just as happy to see me as I am to see them. I'm just happy to be back in the loop."

Blake Griffin had 18 points and eight rebounds before fouling out with 4.9 seconds remaining. Randy Foye, who has been starting at shooting guard since Billups' injury, added 15 points in what could be his last start because of the acquisition of Nick Young on Thursday from Washington.

Courtney Lee led Houston with a season-high 25 points despite a strained tendon in the middle finger of his left hand. Chase Budinger added 19 points, and Goran Dragic had 14 assists and 11 points.

"It was definitely a winnable game for us down the stretch," Budinger said. "Our main thing was that we couldn't get stops in the last three minutes. Chris had a lot to do with it. He was definitely creating, getting to the free throw line, and we just didn't have an answer for him."

With his team down six after Patrick Patterson's baseline hook shot with 2:57 to play, Paul hit a 16-footer and made four free throws to tie the score at 87. Patterson, who finished with 14 points off the bench, made two foul shots before Paul answered with a short jumper in the lane.

"It was a grind-out win for us," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "We had to make plays down the stretch because we didn't shoot the ball well, which put a lot of pressure on us. Chris made some big plays. That's what star players in the league do. And we did a good job of not turning it over."

Patterson then missed a 14-footer from the left baseline, and Paul's layup put the Clippers ahead to stay at 91-89.

The All-Star point guard then stole the ball from Dragic on the Rockets' next possession and Foye made two free throws at the other end.

Budinger and Lee both missed 3-point shots in the final 8 seconds and Paul sealed the win with a pair from the line with 3.6 seconds to go.

"We got stops when we needed to, we got our in transition and we showed what we're really like when we push the tempo," Paul said. "We're really hard to defend when we get like that, because it gets Blake on the move and we get a chance to find our shooters. That's the way we need to play.

"When we walk into the screen-and-roll, the other teams needs to know that I'm going to be aggressive. They can corral me and trap me and not let me go anywhere. But when we are on the move like that, it's almost impossible for those bigs to keep me out of the lane."

Trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, Los Angeles tied the score at 56 with a 17-5 run capped by Paul's short jumper with 5:52 left in the third.

The Clippers held a 14-0 advantage in second-chance points until Budinger got an offensive rebound of Lee's missed 3-pointer, and Dragic made two free throws following a shooting foul by DeAndre Jordan with 4:28 left in the quarter.

"They made adjustments on how we were guarding them," Lee said. "They ran a lot of high pick-and-rolls, and Chris Paul was able to get in the paint and orchestrate their offense."

Neither of the players Houston acquired at the trade deadline were in uniform. Marcus Camby was on the inactive list because the other players he was traded to Portland for - Jonny Flynn and Hasheem Thabeet - hadn't joined the Trail Blazers yet.

The Rockets are expected to buy out the $3.4 million player option for next season that is remaining on Derek Fisher's contract with the Lakers. Fisher played in 537 consecutive games prior to the trade.

"He's not here. If he was here he'd play," coach Kevin McHale told reporters before the game. "I haven't seen him yet. "I have not talked to him."

Notes: Young, obtained by the Clippers on Thursday from Washington in a three-way trade with Denver, had an introductory pregame news conference. "It's a great feeling, coming back to family and playing for a great team," said the former USC star, who was born in Los Angeles. "You can't wish for nothing better than that. It's a dream come true. The organization wanted me and they traded for me, so I feel like I'm a part of this team already. It's a great fit. Playing in the backcourt with Chris Paul and alongside players like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, it's a great opportunity and something I wanted."

Notebook: Clippers 95, Rockets 91

Posted Saturday March 17, 2012 7:44PM

By Dan Arritt, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Up against a team without its leading scorer and just nine healthy players available, including one who was called up from the D-League earlier Saturday, the Clippers still made things difficult for themselves on Saturday. L.A. finally got in gear after trailing by six with just under three minutes remaining, rallying to beat the Rockets, 95-91, at Staples Center.

QUOTABLE: "We got stops when we needed to. We really showed what we are like when we push the tempo. That's how it was, we got stops and we got out in transition."
-- Clippers guard Chris Paul.

THE STAT: Paul didn't score his first points until hitting a 20-footer with 1:36 remaining in the first half. He sensed he'd have to take over down the stretch, however, scoring 10 consecutive points to bring the Clippers back from the six-point deficit. He also won a jump ball against Luis Scola, despite giving away nine inches. Paul finished with 23 points, five assists and matched his season-high with five steals.

TURNING POINT: The Rockets found success going inside to Patrick Patterson down the stretch. After he made two straight baskets while guarded by Blake Griffin, Patterson was then forced into a tough 14-foot fall-away from the baseline and missed with 34 seconds remaining. Randy Foye collected the rebound and passed to Paul, who drove into the open lane for a layup and a 91-89 lead with 24.6 seconds remaining. Paul then stole a pass from Houston guard Goran Dragic as he tried to dish off on a drive and Foye was fouled on the fast break, leading to two more free throws and a four-point lead. Paul scored his final two points at the line with 3.6 seconds left, pushing the lead back to four points.

HOT: With the starting backcourt of Kyle Lowry (bacterial infection) and Kevin Martin (strained right shoulder) sidelined, the Rockets started Courtney Lee and Dragic for the third straight game. Lee responded with a season-high 25 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Dragic posted a career-high 14 assists to go with 11 points and two steals.

NOT: The player that really needed to step up for the Rockets took a step back. Scola finished with 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting after averaging 17.2 points in the previous 10 games since the All-Star break. Leading by four points with 2:14 remaining, he lost the ball to Paul and then lost the jump ball. After the Clippers cut the deficit to two points on the ensuing possession, Scola missed a wide open 18-footer from the baseline with 1:44 left. Paul then tied the score at the free-throw line nine seconds later and the decisive run continued.

GOOD MOVE: Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, who suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon on Feb. 15, was back on the bench for the first time since the injury and took a seat next to the coaching staff. His presence may have helped the Clippers avoid another embarrassing loss. They fell to the short-handed Suns on Thursday night after leading by 12 points early in the fourth quarter.

QUOTABLE II: "[Billups] is a big part of our team, even if he's hurt and on the bench. We can still learn from him and use his wisdom and experience."
-- Griffin

BAD MOVE: Foye, soon to lose his starting job when Nick Young is cleared following his trade from the Wizards on Thursday, took as many shots in the first half (11) as Paul and Griffin combined.

NOTABLE: The Clippers improved to 2-5 in the last seven games decided by four points or less, and 18-4 when holding the opponent to under 96 points ... One of just three teams in the NBA averaging less than 14 turnovers, the Clippers had 11 against the Rockets, including just two in the second half ... In the previous four games, the Rockets shot 50 percent from 3-point territory but were held to 30 percent (6-for-20) against the Clippers ... Paul has now recorded at least one steal in 47 straight games dating back to last season, the longest active streak in the NBA ... After he was called up from the D-League earlier Saturday, the Rockets did not have time to put the last name on the jersey of backup point guard Courtney Fortson. He played just over a minute and committed two turnovers. Fortson played for the Clippers earlier this season when Paul was out with a hamstring injury.

UP NEXT: For the Clippers, Sunday vs. Detroit, Tuesday @ Indiana, Wednesday @ Oklahoma City. For the Rockets, Sunday @ Phoenix, Tuesday vs. L.A. Lakers, Thursday vs. Golden State.

• Rockets: Camby, Fisher, Lowry
• Clippers: Billups, Young

• Rockets: --
• Clippers: Del Negro

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #73 Tre Maddox, #40 Leon Wood
• Attendance: 19060
• Duration: 2:17