Rowan Kavner
Score: LAC 140 – HOU 132 OT
LOS ANGELES – The Clippers couldn’t breathe a sigh of relief after their franchise-record 19th 3-pointer of the night. They couldn’t let it out after a 14-point lead with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, nor could they after J.J. Redick reached a career-high 35-point mark with 10 seconds left.
That sigh of relief would only come after their 22nd 3-pointer, after Redick scored his 40th points of the night and after the last seconds ticked away in overtime against a Rockets team the Clippers know all too well can threaten with any time left on the clock in a 140-132 win.
Next Game: 1/21
Tipoff: 5:00pm PDT
“(Redick)’s just been on fire,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “You could see it early. There was a purpose about him today. He plays like that all the time, but I think J.J., he was our spirit today. You could see it. He was tired of losing to them. I thought he carried that on the floor. It was personal for him.”
The Rockets squeezed out every last second of the game on a night the Clippers couldn’t miss from deep. The Clippers went 22-for-37 from long range and Redick tied the Clippers franchise record and set a career-high with nine 3-pointers.
But it still took extra time for the Clippers to finish off a Rockets team dominating the paint.
While the Clippers got going from deep, Houston was taking advantage inside and at the line. The Rockets shot 52 free-throw attempts and made 64 points in the paint, then got some clutch 3-pointers late.
Redick hit both free throws with 10 seconds left in the fourth quarter to take a three-point lead when Marcus Thornton responded on the other end with his third 3-pointer of the quarter to send the game to overtime, where the Clippers’ long-range success returned.
Less than a minute and a half into overtime, the Clippers already hit two 3-pointers to take a six-point lead, one apiece from Jamal Crawford and J.J. Redick. A third from Chris Paul would give the Clippers a seven-point lead and finally enough breathing room to finish the Rockets off from the line.
Redick and Paul combined to go 14-for-19 from 3-point range, starting 6-for-6 from beyond the arc before the first quarter even ended.
In addition to setting the franchise record for 3-pointers in a game, the Clippers also hit 12 first-half 3-pointers, setting a franchise record for 3-pointers in a half. The 12 3-pointers in the first half were more than they had in either two previous games this year against Houston.
Key Moment: The Rockets missed three of their first four shots in overtime, while turning the ball over once in that span. The Clippers, meanwhile, made three of their first four shots in overtime, all three from long range. After letting the lead slip away at the end of regulation, the Clippers needed to respond quickly in overtime, and they were able to take control immediately.
Clippers Star: J.J. Redick – It was the kind of night where even on a bad miss, the Rockets fumbled the rebound attempt and put in Redick’s shot for him. Everything was falling for Redick, who began the night 8-for-9 from 3-point range and finished 9-for-12 from long distance and 9-for-9 from the free-throw line.
Rockets Star: Dwight Howard – Far too often, Howard was able to get the ball right in front of the basket, where he’d either finish with an easy dunk or head to the line. Howard finished with 36 points and 26 rebounds, while going 14-for-18 from the line.
X-Factor: Chris Paul – The Clippers would need help beyond Redick to put the Rockets away, and they got it from Paul, who finished with 28 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and six steals, going 5-for-7 from 3-point range and scoring eight points in overtime.
Quotes:
Doc Rivers – “What I liked about it was everyone was furious going into overtime, and we came out and got our composure and played well. That’s the best sign for our team, but you can’t play with fire like that.”
J.J. Redick – “They’re a team that I think thinks they’re better than us, and rightfully so, given the results of the past season and a half. It was important for us tonight to kind of, to use a cliché, but it was important for us to hit first. They punked us the last game in Houston, and we wanted to be more aggressive from the start.”
Chris Paul – “I haven’t seen (Redick) locked in like this shooting the ball since he was at Duke, doing it against us at Wake (Forest). It’s crazy.”
Notes: Jamal Crawford said being able to play a basketball game on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is special. “He stood for so much, and he just wanted to see everybody considered equal no matter the color of their skin,” Crawford said … Crawford finished with 17 points off the bench … The Clippers improved to 10-1 when Redick scores at least 20 points in a game … DeAndre Jordan returned from a two-game absence with pneumonia and posted 16 points and 15 rebounds … The Clippers begin a give-game road trip Thursday in Cleveland …