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LA Clippers Top Rockets 125-96, Stay Tied With Jazz for 4th Seed

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CLIPPERS 125, ROCKETS 96

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul scored 19 points and Los Angeles Clippers used a balanced offense to beat the Houston Rockets 125-96 in the NBA on Monday night.

Paul also had nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in the win, while Blake Griffin added 18 and eight rebounds for the Clippers, who stayed tied with the Utah Jazz in the race for the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings ahead of the playoff.

Jamal Crawford scored 19 points off the bench and Luc Mbah a Moute, who is averaging 5.9 points this season, matched his season-high with 15 points for Los Angeles (50-31)

DeAndre Jordan ended with 14 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth successive double-double, while Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass each scored 10 points for the LA Clippers, who won their sixth successive game.

“Our destiny is in our hands,” said Jordan.

Top reserve Eric Gordon scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Houston Rockets, who shot just 39.3 percent overall and went 9-for-40 from 3-point range.

MVP candidate James Harden shot just 2-of-9 for 14 points, while missing 5 of 6 3-pointers. He also finished with seven rebounds and six assists in the defeat.

“We try to get through this as best as possible,” Harden said. “Especially when you have four or five guys out that are in the rotation.”

Montrezl Harrell added 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Bobby Brown and Troy Williams also scored 15 points for Houston (54-27).

Brown also dished out nine assists.

The Clippers lead 61-57 at halftime before outscoring the Rockets 36-12 in the third quarter to take a 97-69 lead.

“They had to win,” said Houston coach Mike D’Antoni. “They came out in the second half with a little bit more determination than we had.”

NEXT GAME

The LA Clippers will play host to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night, while the Utah Jazz will entertain the San Antonio Spurs.

For more information visit team pages for the Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers.

TNT Overtime NBA Live Stream: Clippers v Wolves on Jan. 19

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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers will aim to stay undefeated in 2017 when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves live on TNT Overtime on Thursday night.

Tip-off time for this fixture is set for 10:30 pm ET, and it will be the second game of a double-header streaming live on TNT Overtime tonight.

New York Knicks will host the Washington Wizards in the first game at 8:00 pm.

The Clippers (29-14) enter this game on a seven-game winning streak, but will have to try to extend that run without leading point guard Chris Paul, who is out for six-to-eight weeks with a thumb injury.

Paul, who recently returned from a hamstring problem, suffered another setback on Monday night in a 120-98 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he sprained his left thumb and underwent surgery Wednesday morning.

Raymond Felton, who is averaging 7.2 points per game and scored 15 points and dished out six assists against the Thunder, is expected to start for Paul, while Austin Rivers will share the ball handling duties.

Minnesota (14-28), meanwhile, enters this game on a two-game skid, following defeats to the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs on the road.

The Timberwolves are 5-15 away from home this season and are expected to struggle against a Clippers team that is 17-6 at Staples Centre this term.

Karl-Anthony Towns, who is averaging 22.0 points and 12.0 rebounds this season, and is coming off a 27pts and 16rebs performance in the defeat to the Spurs on Tuesday, is the main contributor for the Wolves this term.

Three other players, Andrew Wiggins (21.6) and Zach LaVine (20.1) are also averaging 20-plus points this season.

Meanwhile, the other TNT Overtime live streaming game will come from Madison Square Garden in New York, where Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks will try to build on the 117-106 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Derrick Rose matched his season high with 30 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had five assists to help the Knicks (19-24) stopped a two-game skid.

It will be the second of four meetings between the Wizards and New York this season, with Washington taking the first the meeting 119-112 on Nov 17.

In another NBA game on Thursday night, the LeBron James and Kyrie Irving will lead the Cleveland Cavaliers against the visiting Phoenix Suns.

The Cavs were beaten 126-91 by the Golden State Warriors in the last outing.

Elsewhere, Dallas is at Miami and San Antonio entertains Denver.

NBA Schedule, Live TNT Overtime Stream
Thursday, January 19

Phoenix at Cleveland 7:00 PM
Dallas at Miami 7:30 PM
Washington at New York 8:00 PM TNT and TNT Overtime
Denver at San Antonio 8:30 PM
Minnesota at Los Angeles Clippers 10:30 PM TNT and TNT Overtime

NBA Scores on Dec. 22; Wins For Clippers, Warriors

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – NBA scores and recaps from the games that took place around the league on Thursday night, 22 December.

LA CLIPPERS 106, SPURS 101

LOS ANGELES — Chris Paul had 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals before hurting his hamstring and the Los Angeles Clippers picked up a 106-101 win over the San Antonio Spurs at STAPLES Center.

The Clippers (22-8), who were already without star forward Blake Griffin, added star point guard Paul to the injury list after he tweaked his left hamstring late in the third quarter.

Paul left the game with 4:33 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t return but he said he did not believe the injury was very serious.

He hopes to play Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

“I’m OK,” Paul said. “I think I just tweaked my hamstring. I’m glad I caught it when I did.

“It’s probably going to come back, but hopefully I’ll be ready for Dallas.”

Reserves Marreese Speights had 14 points and seven rebounds, Raymond Felton scored 13 and Jamal Crawford ended with 11 for LA.

J.J. Redick scored 11 points and made three 3-pointers and DeAndre Jordan ended with 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks for Los Angeles, which won two straight and six in the last seven overall.

Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio with 27 points and nine rebounds, while Pau Gasol added 21 points and nine rebounds.

Danny Green and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 10 points in the defeat for the Spurs (23-6), who were losing for only the second time on the road this season.

Los Angeles Clippers’ bench outscored the Spurs’ subs 58-33.

WARRIORS 117, NETS 101

NEW YORK — Kevin Durant collected 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists to help the Golden State Warriors recovered from a slow start to secure a 117-101 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Klay Thompson added 23 points for the Warriors, Zaza Pachulia ended with a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Stephen Curry finished with 15 points, seven assists and five steals for the Warriors (26-4).

Brook Lopez led the way for the Nets with 28 points and eight rebounds.

Sean Kilpatrick added 14 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 13 points and grabbed six boards in the defeat.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 12 points and Jeremy Lin chipped in with 10 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Brooklyn (7-21).

The Nets led 65-49 at the break but were outscored by 32 points over the final 24 minutes after failing to reach 20 points in each of the last two-quarters of the game.

It was the sixth win in a row for the Warriors, while defeat was the fourth straight for Brooklyn.

MORE NBA SCORES

In other NBA scores on the night, the Miami Heat beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-107 on Thursday night to snap a three-game skid, while the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 109-102.

Justise Winslow and Hassan Whiteside each collected 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat (10-20) who were winning for only the fifth time at home this season.

Goran Dragic added 21 points and seven assists, James Johnson ended with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists and Tyler Johnson had 14 points and six assists for Miami, which shot 53.6 percent overall and went 11-for-22 from 3-point range.

Lou Williams paced the Lakers with 27 points. Nick Young added 20 points and D’Angelo Russell finished with 17 for the Lakers, who fell to 5-14 on the road and 11-21 overall.

Los Angeles opened the game with an 11-0 run and led by as many as 19 points, but the Heat managed to pull themselves back into the game and take the win.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Thomas had 28 points and nine assists, and the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 109-102.

Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder both finished with 15 points, while Marcus Smart finished with 12 points, and Amir Johnson and Kelly Olnyk finished with 11 each in the win for the Celtics (17-12).

Jeff Teague led the Pacers (15-16) with 31 points and eight assists and Paul George and CJ Miles each scored 19 points in the defeat.

Thaddeus Young had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Indiana, which trailed 51-40 at halftime, but pulled within four points late in the game.

In another NBA score on Thursday night, Derrick Rose scored 19 points, Kyle O’Quinn had 14 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the Orlando Magic 106-95.

NBA Scores on December 22
Complete NBA Box Scores

LA CLIPPERS 106, SPURS 101
WARRIORS 117, NETS 101
HEAT 115, LAKER 107
CELTICS 109, PACERS 102
KNICKS 106, MAGIC 95

Paul, Griffin Pushed Clippers Past Blazers: Game 1

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LOS ANGELES, Sporting Alert – Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both impressed to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a comfortable 115-95 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of their playoff series on Sunday. Box Scores

Game 2 of the series is Wednesday night, again at STAPLES Center and the visitors will be hoping to do much better on both defense and offense.

Paul led the way for the Clippers with 28 points on 10-for-19 shooting from the field while dishing out 11 assists, six rebounds and two steals.

Blake, rounding back into game shape, got off to an impressive start and ended the contest with 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for Los Angeles, which led by as many as 23 points during the game.

BLAKE WAS EXPLOSIVE

“He was explosive,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Griffin’s Game 1 performance. “Blake got himself going through the flow of what we were doing.

“Today was the first day he had great timing.”

The forward added: “I felt really good. Our offense was really clicking.

“We were doing the things that we wanted to do and that helps when you’re getting easy shots. I got some right at the basket early, so that helps.”

DeAndre Jordan added 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks and JJ Redick finished with 17 points on 8-for-12 shooting for the LA Clippers, who have an 8-9 all-time record in Game 1 of playoff series.

LILLARD SHINES, BUT CJ SLOWED DOWN

Point guard Damian Lillard led Portland with 21 points and eight assists, while Gerald Henderson connected on a pair of 3-pointers and went 7-for-12 overall from the floor for 16 points for the Trail Blazers.

Forward Al-Farouq Aminu contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds, but CJ McCollum, who is averaging a career-high 20.8 points per game, was held to just nine points and made only three of his 11 field goal attempts.

Lillard and McCollum were the key contributors for Portland this season – averaging 45.9 points, which ranked third-highest by any duo in the league, but the Clippers were able to disrupt their rhythm.

“We just didn’t score the ball,” Lillard said. “Usually the things we get to with myself and CJ – ball screen actions, flairs and pin downs – they were pretty disruptive.

“It was tough to deal with.”

Jamal Crawford shot 50-percent from the floor and scored 13 points for the Clippers, who were 53.8 percent as a team from the field, while Austin Rivers ended with 11 points on 5-for-10 shooting.

Thunder Collapse At Clippers; NBA Scores On March 2

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LOS ANGELES, Sporting Alert – The Los Angeles Clippers used a highlighting fourth-quarter run to take down the Oklahoma City Thunder in a thriller at STAPLES Center on Wednesday. Box score

Trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, the Clippers slowly chipped away at the lead with their bench players before finishing off the visitors down the stretch for a 103-98 win.

All-Star point guard Chris Paul had 21 points and 13 assists and big center DeAndre Jordan added 20 points and 18 rebounds for the LA Clippers (40-20), who used a remarkable 26-5 run to end the contest with after trailing by the double-digit score with 7:26 left.

“Our intensity was key,” Paul told reporters. “The defense picked up in the second half.

“I was out to start the fourth quarter, and Jamal Crawford looked at me and said: ‘We are going to get us back in this thing by the time you guys (the starters) get back in.’

“I don’t know if he’s a fortune teller, but he did it.”

JJ Redick, who hit four of his first six shots, suffered a lower back problem late in the first quarter, but managed to shake the bruise off to end with 16 points and Jamal Crawford scored 12 points off the bench in the win, as Doc Rivers side staged its largest comeback victory of the season.

Wesley Johnson recovered from a dreadful start to finish with 11 points, including eight straight points behind back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter while Cole Aldrich had eight valuable points and six rebounds for the Clippers, who won three straight and four on the last five overall.

Kevin Durant led Oklahoma City with 30 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Russell Westbrook added 24 points, 12 assists and six boards for the Thunder, who blew a 22-point lead.

Serge Ibaka ended with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat for Oklahoma City (42-19), which dropped three of the last four games and face the defending champions and the NBA-best team, Golden State Warriors on the road on Thursday night.

“I’m not taking anything away from L.A.,” Thunder head coach Billy Donovan said. “Obviously, they had to make the plays to get back in it.

“But did we beat ourselves, or did they beat us?

“The biggest decision that we have to make collectively, from an accountability standpoint, is that there’s got to be a whole level of sacrifice by everybody.”

The Thunder managed just one field goal during the last 7:30 against the Los Angeles Clippers and a worried Durant, who also saw his team collapse against the Warriors late last month, believes they are lacking the discipline to close-out games.

“If we just want to be a great team, the way we’re playing, we’re fooling ourselves,” the All-Star forward said after the Thunder were outscored 35-13 fourth quarter.

Durant, who had six of the team’s 17 turnovers, added: “They were disciplined, and we weren’t.

“I need to lead by example. I need to play with a passion, and hopefully it rubs off.”

Elsewhere in the NBA on Wednesday night, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detriot Pistons 97-81, Orlando Magic handed the injured depleted Chicago Bulls their fourth successive defeat, 102-89, Denver Nuggets top the Los Angeles Lakers, 117-107 and the Boston Celtics took down the Portland Trail Blazers, 116-93.

NBA RESULTS AND BOX SCORES
Wednesday, March 2

SPURS 97, PISTONS 81
LA CLIPPERS 103, THUNDER 98
ROCKETS 100, PELICANS 95
NUGGETS 117, LAKERS 107
RAPTORS 104, JAZZ 94
MAGIC 102, BULLS 89
WIZARDS 104, TIMBERWOLVES 98
CELTICS 116, TRAIL BLAZERS 93
GRIZZLIES 104, KINGS 98
PACERS 104, BUCKS 99
HORNETS 119, 76ERS 99

Chris Paul Helps Clippers Beat Spurs On Emotional Night

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LOS ANGELES, Sporting Alert – Chris Paul poured in 28 points and 12 assists to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 105-86 victory over the San Antonio Spurs 105-86 in an NBA game on Thursday night.

Paul, who is averaging 19.5 points and 9.4 assists per game this season, shot 9-of-18 from the field while pulling down five rebounds for the LA Clippers (36-18), who never trailed in the game and led by as many as 20 points after using a 20-8 run to start the third quarter.

Reserve guard Jamal Crawford added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting and dished out six assists, and J.J. Redick, who went 7-of-13 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-pointers, finished with 17 points for the Clippers, who were beating the Spurs for the first time since their Game 7 win in the Western Conference first round of the 2015 playoffs.

Tony Parker scored 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting for San Antonio, with David West adding 12 four rebounds and four steals for the Spurs (45-9), who had their six-game winning streak snapped.

LaMarcus Aldridge shot just 3-of-12 from the floor for 10 points while Tim Duncan scored only two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes.

The experienced center also grabbed six rebounds for San Antonio, which managed to cut the LA Clippers big lead to five in the fourth quarter before the hosts took over again.

San Antonio shot 42 percent from the floor, but was only 4-for-17 from 3-point range and was outrebounded 45-33 in the defeat.

The men from Texas were unable to recover from a slow start in the first half where they shot 15-of-43 from the floor.

Los Angeles led 42-34 at halftime and shot 63 percent from long-range.

“The group did not play at a high enough level to win a road game,” West admitted. “We were not solid enough, and obviously we shot the ball like crap in the first half.

“We just could not execute enough to keep pace with them.”

The game capped off an emotional day for both group of players and coaches who traveled to Oklahoma City to attend the funeral for the wife of Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Monty Williams earlier in the day.

She was killed in a car accident.

Meanwhile, the Spurs played without star forward Kawhi Leonard because of tightness in his left calf, while the Clippers were again without forward Blake Griffin, who continues to nurse a broken hand.

Guard Austin Rivers was also out for Los Angeles due to a hairline fracture in his left hand but says he should be able to return in two weeks.

DeAndre Jordan collected 17 rebounds for the Clippers, who play hosts to the defending champions Golden State Warriors on Saturday.

NBA SCORES ON THURSDAY NIGHT

CAVALIERS 106, BULLS 95 – RECAP, SCORES
CLIPPERS 105, SPURS 86 – Box Score
WIZARDS 103, JAZZ 89 – Box Score

Paul Scores 22, Leads LA Clippers Past Miami, 100-93

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Chris Paul recovered from a dreadful start to score 22 points and lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-93 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA on Sunday. Box score

Paul, who scored just seven points in the first half on 2 for 13 shooting, went 6 for 10 in the second half to lead the way for the Clippers (34-17), who won two straight on the road and improved to 17-9 away from Staples Center.

The All-Star point guard started 0 for 9, but he never thought about stop shooting the ball.

“I kept shooting it (the ball) because sooner or later it had to go in. Just tried to stay aggressive,” Paul said, who also finished with seven assists.

Jamal Crawford continued his strong scoring form this season by adding 20 points off the bench, while J.J. Redick ended with 14 points in the win for the LA Clippers, who shot 45.7 percent from the floor and forced 13 turnovers.

Reserve forward Wesley Johnson had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench, DeAndre Jordan went 3 for 4 from the floor, including a couple of dunks off passes from Paul and Crawford to end with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Cole Aldrich pulled down 11 boards for Los Angeles.

The Clippers continue to be without star forward Blake Griffin, who recently underwent a second surgery on his broken hand while backup guard Austin Rivers will miss four to six weeks with a broken left hand the team is reporting.

“That was a team win because nobody really had it going,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “But our defense really had it going all game.”

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic all scored 17 points for the Miami Heat, who had won two straight heading into this game.

“They made big plays down the stretch,” Wade said. “That’s the way we’ve been winning of late, so we can’t be mad at that.

“We got a little taste of our own medicine.”

Dragic also dished out five assists and five rebounds, while Bosh also ended with five boards in the defeats.

Luol Deng shot 5 for 9 from the floor to add 15 points and eight rebounds, with Hassan Whiteside pulling in a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat (29-23).

After going behind by 12 points, the Heat managed to pull within three points, at 86-83 with 4:33 left in the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Paul and then another by Crawford with 1:49 left, took the game away from Miami.

The LA Clippers return to action on Monday at the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Heat will host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

Clippers, Thunder, Heat Win: NBA Scores On Jan 26

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INDIANAPOLIS, Sporting Alert — Chris Paul had 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Indiana Pacers 91-89 in the NBA on Tuesday night.

J.J. Redick scored 19 points and Wesley Johnson made five 3-pointers for 15 points for Los Angeles (29-16), which improved to 14-9 on the road.

DeAndre Jordan, who put the LA Clippers ahead 73-72 with 0:55 left in the third quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, added 19 rebounds, three blocks and nine points.

The Clippers then used a 13-0 run to extend the lead to 81-72 midway through the fourth quarter.

Paul George went 12-for-23 from the field to finish with 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way for the Pacers (23-22) who closed the gap to two-points with a 14-7 run late in the contest.

Myles Turner added 16 points and six boards off the bench, while George Hill scored 15 points and Ian Mahinmi ended with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, which lost its third straight.

At the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh scored 27 points apiece for the Miami Heat to beat the Nets 102-98 in another NBA game Tuesday night.

Wade made 11-of-22 shots from the floor and grabbed eight assists, three steals and two blocks, while Bosh went 12-of-18 from the field and added five boards and four assists for Miami (25-21) which won two in a row since ending a four-game skid.

Justise Winslow scored 13 points and added seven rebounds and Luol Deng finished with 10 points for the Heat who shot 54.2 percent from the field.

Brooklyn was led by Andrea Bargnani, who had 20 points off the bench and Joe Johnson, who added 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds in the defeat.

Brook Lopez ended with 13 points and 10 rebounds — collecting his second successive double-double and his fourth in the last five games for the Nets (12-34), who continue to struggle at home after falling to 8-18 at Barclays Center.

Thaddeus Young chipped in with 12 points and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 11 off the bench for Brooklyn, which shot 50.7 percent.

In another NBA game on Tuesday night, All-Star forward Kevin Durant scored a season-high 44 points and collected 14 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the New York Knicks 128-122 in overtime.

Both teams were locked at 113-113 at the end of regulation.

Russell Westbrook delivered 30 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and three steals for the Thunder (34-13) who were bouncing back from the loss to the Nets on Sunday.

Langston Galloway scored 21 points to lead the Knicks, who were without leading scorer Carmelo Anthony after he missed the game with a sore left knee.

NBA SCORES AND RESULTS
Tuesday, January 26

LA CLIPPERS 91, PACERS 89
THUNDER 128, KNICKS 122, OT
76ERS 113, SUNS 103
MAVERICKS 92, LAKERS 90
HEAT 102, NETS 98
RAPTORS 106, WIZARDS 89
BUCKS 107, MAGIC 100
TRAIL BLAZERS 112, KINGS 97

Harden, Rockets Eliminate Clippers From Playoffs In Game 7

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NBA playoffs
Dwight Howard and James Harden lead Rockets past Clippers in Game 7

HOUSTON (Sporting Alert, Box Score: Clippers v Rockets) –The Los Angeles Clippers gave away Game 6 and paid heavily after they were eliminated from the NBA playoff at the hands of the Houston Rockets in Game 7 on Sunday.

Up 3-1 in the series, the Clippers failed to capitalized twice and were dumped from the postseason, following the 113-100 defeat at the Toyota Center in Texas.

Houston won three straight to take the series 4-3 and setup a Western Conference final battle with the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors.

On Sunday in Game 7, James Harden, despite shooting just 7-of-20 from the field, finished with 31 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals to paced the Rockets at home.

Trevor Ariza hit six 3-pointers on his way to 22 points to go along with his seven rebounds, while Dwight Howard, who was grabbing his 15th double-double in 18 career playoff games with the Rockets, added 16 points and 15 boards for Houston, which outscored the Clippers 48-36 in points in the paint.

Blake Griffin scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists, with Chris Paul adding 26 points 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals for the LA Clippers, who gave up 27 points from 18 turnovers.

Jamal Crawford contributed 17 points and DeAndre Jordan finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks for Los Angeles, which trailed by as many as 20 points in the game.

Houston jumped all over the Clippers from the early minutes and took a 56-46 lead at halftime.

The Clippers made a run immediately after the interval to cut the deficit to three-points, but a series of turnovers gifted the hosts with easy points and build another big lead.

The Clippers will go home knowing they blew their best chance thus far of advancing beyond the second round for the first time in franchise history.

Corey Brewer, who played 23 valuable minutes for Houston, scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

Rockets Take 56-46 Halftime Lead Over Clippers: Game 7

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Rockets v Clippers
James Harden in action for Rockets v Clippers

HOUSTON (Sporting Alert) — The Houston Rockets jumped all over the Los Angeles Clippers in the opening minutes on their way to take a 56-46 lead at halftime in Game 7 over the Eastern Conference semi-finals at the Toyota Center, here in Houston.

Star players James Harden and Dwight Howard both scored 12 points in the opening 48 minutes of the game.

Howard goes into the break with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Harden has 12 points five assists, three rebounds and two steals to help lead the way for Houston, which seeks its third successive win in this series.

Blake Griffin is the leading contributor so far for the Los Angeles Clippers with 12 points six rebounds and four assists.

Chris Paul, who is 4-of-9 from the field has 10 points, while Jamal Crawford also has 10. The latter is once again struggling from the floor — going 3-of-10 from the field.

The Clippers went 4-of-14 on 28.6 percent from three-point range, while going 19-of-50 on 38 percent.

The Rockets, at the same time, went 21-for-44 from the field for 47.7 percent, but were 6-of-17 from behind the arc as both teams struggles to knock down shots from long range in the first half.

Houston went up by as many as 15 points in the opening half, but the LA Clippers are battling to save their season.

Rockets’ Plan Backfired, Lose Big To Clippers; Down 3-1

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[wptab name=’Recap’]

NBA Playoffs
DeAndre Jordan of Clippers in Game 4.

LOS ANGELES (Sporting Alert) — The Los Angeles Clippers are one win away from making a franchise maiden conference finals after they beat the Rockets 128-95 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals on Sunday. Box score

DeAndre Jordan, who went to the free throw line 34 times for the game and a record 28 times for a half in the first half, finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds to lead the way for the Clippers, who took a 3-1 lead in the best of seven game series.

“I was just trying to make as many (free throws) as I could for our team, and on the other end just try to get us as many stops as I could in a row,” said Jordan.

“Every time that we’ve gotten the lead and went on a run, we were able to get stops and limit those guys to one shot and get out and run and do what we want to do, and we were able to convert.”

Blake Griffin had 21 points and eight rebounds for Los Angeles, which had six players scoring in double-digits.

“The best part about today’s game was how we responded after the half, came out and did such a great job of defending and getting out and getting easy buckets,” said Griffin.

J.J. Redick scored 18 points and Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists for the Clippers, who were 37-of-63 from the free throw line.

James Harden led the Rockets with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, with Trevor Ariza finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds.

Houston now knows they are on the brink of elimination.

“This is the ultimate adversity right now,” Harden said. “We’ve got Game 5 back at the house and it’s really win or go home.

“Our backs are against the wall, and we’ve got to show up.”

Dwight Howard fell in early foul trouble and it came back to haunt him as he played just 18 minutes before fouling out with seven points and six rebounds in the defeat for Houston.

Howard fouled out and then got a technical foul for an ejection with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter. The Clippers were already running away with the contest, being up 110-81 at the time of him departing.

Jason Terry ended with 16 points for the Rockets.

Clippers led the Rockets 60-54 at half time.

Meanwhile, Rockets coach Kevin McHale revealed that he decided to start the Hack-A-DJ madness early because Howard go in foul trouble early and they needed the slow the pace of the game down.

Game 5 in the series in Houston on Tuesday.

Reporting by Micah Disney, SportingAlert.
————————————-END—————————————–

LA Clippers v Rockets
Clippers v Rockets Game 4 coverage

DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin each have 12 points and the Clippers lead the Rockets 60-54 at half-time in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Jordan has been sent to the free throw line a staggering 28 times, which is an NBA record for a half. It erased Shaquille O’Neal’s previous mark of 27. O’Neal has also shot an NBA playoff record 39 free throws in 2000 against Indiana.

Chris Paul has eight points and six assists and Jamal Crawford also has eight points off the bench for the Clippers.

Trevor Ariza has 15 points seven rebounds, while Terrence Jones and James Harden each have 10 points for the Rockets.

Howard, who already has three fouls exits the contest in the second quarter with 8:19 left, having played just 7 minutes.

Early Second Quarter Run

First-Quarter Updates LA Clippers 30, Houston 33

Game 4 Clippers v Rockets
NBA Half-Time: Clippers v Rockets

Top Performers

Hou: J. Harden 10 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast
LAC: C. Paul 5 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl

Live TNT | TNT Overtime Live Stream
Line: LAC -6.5 Live GameCast and Live Box Score

Houston Rockets lead the Los Angeles Clippers 33-30 at the end of the first quarter in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Houston Rockets lead the Los Angeles Clippers 33-30 at the end of the first quarter in Game 4 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Dwight Howard fell into early foul trouble after picking up a quick two, and was forced to sit on the bench midway through the opening 12-minutes.

James Harden hit both his three-pointers on his way to scoring 10 points for the Rockets. He went 3-of-3 from the floor in the opening stanza.

Trevor Ariza also has 10 points for the travelers.

DeAndre Jordan has nine points for the Clippers and has already gone to the free throw line 14 times.

He’s made seven of those for 50-percent. Both teams are showing over 56-percent from the floor and have 14 points each in the paint.

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Chris Paul
Chris Paul to start again for Clippers: Twitter

HOUSTON (Sporting Alert) — Chris Paul will start again for the Clippers against the Rockets in their Western Conference battle, but  the guard is expected to have minutes restriction for Game 4.

Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Clippers
Game 4, 7:30 PM CT, May 10, 2015
Live TNT | TNT Overtime Live Stream
Line: LAC -6.5
Live GameCast and Live Box Score

Paul picked up a left hamstring injury in Game 7 of the San Antonio Spurs series and had to sit-out Game 1 and Game 2 of this current series with Houston.

He returned to score 12 points and seven assists in the 124-99 victory in Game 3, but was restricted to just 23 minutes.

“He actually felt better today,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “That was the best sign of the whole game.”

Paul confirmed that he is good to go.

“I’m cool, I’m good, I’ll be ready for tomorrow (today),” Paul said. “There’s no speculation, probable or questionable. I’m playing tomorrow.”

On Sunday, the All-Star point guard is set for another minutes limitation outing, which will allow Rivers to continue to use son, Austin Rivers, who saw 23 minutes off the bench in Game 3 and scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting.

Paul is averaging 21.4 points, 7.8 assists and 2.0 steals from eight games in this postseason.

“For me, it was about getting out there and trying to be that leader,” Paul noted. “I tried to pick my spots as well as possible, but we still played through Blake [Griffin] as we should.

“He’s been our MVP in this series and we’re going to keep playing through him like we do.”

J.J. Redick, who exploded for a season-high 31 points, Blake Griffin (22) and DeAndre Jordan, who added 15 rebounds in the win the last time out, are expected to play important roles again in Sunday night’s contest for the role team as well.

The LA Clippers shot an impressive 55.4 percent from the field, outscored the Rockets 23-19 on fast break points, as well as outrebounded the hosts 50-43 in Game 3.

James Harden and the Rockets will be desperate to even the series before heading back to Los Angeles for Game 5.

“We just let go of the rope and they piled on us,” Rockets coach Kevin McHalesaid. “We got rattled in that third quarter. Our team defense went to hell.”

Harden had 25 points and 11 assists in Game 3, but missed some crucial shots and had five turnovers in the defeat, as Houston shot 39.8 percent from the floor.
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Cavaliers v Bulls; Clippers v Rockets Live on TNT Overtime

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NBA Playoffs
Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers

May 8, 2015 (Sporting Alert) — Chris Paul remains a worry for the Clippers, despite getting an on-court workout on Thursday ahead of Game 3 Western Conference semi-final series against the Rockets.

Watch Live Streaming on TNT Overtime | TNT Network Will Have TV Broadcasting | Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls Game 3 will be on ESPN.

Paul suffered a left hamstring strain in Game 7 of the first round series clash with the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday and has missed the first two games of the Houston tie with the problem.

The Los Angeles Clippers were able to win Game 1 without the star point guard, but were unable to overcome the Rockets, who even the series at 1-1 with the Game 2 victory on Wednesday night.

Doc Rivers opted to give his team a day off from regular squad practice session on Thursday with only a 24-hours break between Game 2 and 3, but Paul workout on the day as he step up his recovery from the muscle injury.

Rivers was happy with the progress of his All-Star point guard, but revealed that his status for Friday night remains questionable.

“Those are the right steps. Everything is going well,” Rivers said. “My guess is it’s going to come down to the eye and feel test.

“With hamstrings, there really is no gauge.”

The Clippers were looking good through the first two-and-a-half quarter to take a 2-0 lead during Game 3, but the Rockets rallied from a 13-point deficit through James Harden to take the precious home win, 115-109.

“Definitely feels like we let one get away,” Los Angeles’ Blake Griffin said. “We came here to win two, but we’re going back with home court now. Got to protect home court.”

Blake was also critical of the way the Clippers failed to adjust Houston’s defensive tactics in the Game 2 defeat.

“Front-and-back double team. I wouldn’t say they spaced it out. They clogged it up, to be honest,” Griffin said about the home side’s tactics.

“We have to do a better job of reading that and reacting off of it. I have to do a better job of moving off the ball to get open.”

Blake scored 34 points and pulled down 15 defensive rebounds in Game 2, but he and his Clippers teammates were unable to hold out, as Harden scored 34 points and Dwight Howard added 24 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks with one turnover in the win for Houston.

After losing Game 1, Harden admits that the Rockets were determined not to go down 2-0 in the series, as Trevor Ariza (15), Corey Brewer (11), Jason Terry and Terrence Jones (10) all scored in double digits.

“We let Game 1 slip away and we didn’t want that feeling for Game 2,” Harden said. “It’s going to be a tough two games in a row, but we’ve got our mojo now.”

He added: “We got momentum going into Game 3. Guys are prepared now.”

Both teams shot over 40-percent from the field, but struggled from three-point range in Game 2, with the Clippers going 6-for-25 and Houston shooting 5-for-26 from long-range.

Chicago Bulls Take On Cleveland Cavaliers At Home

In Friday night’s other NBA playoffs contest, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, smarting from their Game 2 win, will take on the Chicago Bulls when Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series move to the United Center.

James opened brightly and aggressively in Game 2 on his way to scoring 33 points to go along with his eight rebounds and five assists in the 106-91 victory for the Cavs, who dropped the opening game of the series.

Cleveland will have starting guard J.R. Smith available from his two-game suspension and he is liked return to the starting lineup, which means James Jones, who scored 17 points and hit 5 of his 9 three-point attempts and Mike Miller, will see a reduction in their game minutes.

At the same time, the Cavaliers could be without Iman Shumpert, who is dealing with a groin problem.

Shumpert, who scored 15 points and hit 4-of-7 from 3s, tweaked his groin in Game 2 and will test the problem during Friday’s shootaround before head coach David Blatt makes a decision over his participation, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Chicago Bulls, which never trailed in Game 1, were put to the sword from the opening minutes of Game 2 and were down 38-18 at the end of the first quarter.

Three-times the travelers found themselves trailing by 21 points in Wednesday’s clash, with James doing most of the early damage on a night when he brought back his familiar headband fashion.

Recently named NBA’s Most Improved Player Jimmy Bultler, who scored a team high 18 points in Game 2, believes he must do better at being more aggressive if he wants to avoid a repeat of the 5-of-14 shooting display from Game 2.

“I have to man up and take the challenge,” Butler, who has been given the task of marking James said.

“LeBron was aggressive, but I wasn’t aggressive enough.

“I was counting too much on help being there, which is on me. I will be better.”

Chicago point guard Derrick Rose was only 6-of-20 from the floor in Game 2, as he ended with 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds.

Pau Gasol (3-of-8) from 11 points and Aaron Brooks (1-of-8) for four points, were both very disappointing in Game 2’s defeat and must show up on Friday or the Bulls could find themselves down 2-1.