Los Angeles Clippers vs Houston Rockets Box Score on Dec 22, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 22, 2017

HOUSTON -- Austin Rivers caught fire in the second half and, with some help from Lou Williams, shot the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers past the Houston Rockets 128-118 on Friday night at Toyota Center.

Rivers scored 30 of his team-high 36 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the second half, drilling 5 of 10 3-pointers down the stretch to keep the injury-riddled Rockets (25-6) at bay.

Williams, traded by Houston in the offseason as part of the blockbuster Chris Paul acquisition, scored 32 points.

Rivers and Williams combined to shoot 13 for 24 from behind the arc to offset another breathtaking performance from Rockets guard James Harden, who posted his second consecutive 51-point outing.

Harden finished 15 of 28 from the floor and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line while adding eight assists. Eric Gordon chipped in 28 points for Houston, which closed a season-long seven-game homestand with consecutive losses to the Los Angeles teams.

On the verge of a blowout, the Clippers (13-18) rallied back into contention in the third quarter.

After Harden pushed the Rockets to a 67-52 lead with a driving layup to open the quarter, Rivers exploded. Having missed 6 of 7 shots before the break, Rivers poured in 10 points in under four minutes to open the second half.

A 3-pointer with 5:25 left in the quarter evened the score at 74, and the Clippers added four additional treys down the stretch in the quarter.

When C.J. Williams beat the buzzer with a 3 that gave the Clippers an 87-85 lead entering the fourth, it capped a 35-point quarter and 7-of-13 shooting from behind the arc in the third.

Harden almost single-handedly spotted the Rockets their double-digit lead, scoring 20 first-quarter points on 6-of-10 shooting. Upon returning to action in the second quarter, Harden maintained his hot hand and closed his 30-point half with a buzzer-beating 3 for a 65-52 lead.

NOTES: With G Chris Paul (left adductor strain) joining the previously sidelined duo of F Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) and C Clint Capela (heel), the minutes load on Rockets G James Harden will be monitored closely. In the 14 complete games Paul played upon his return from a knee injury, Harden averaged 35.3 minutes, which would represent his lowest total in six seasons with Houston. ... Clippers F Jamil Wilson made his first start at the three, a moved helped to offset Los Angeles being without five rotation players. ... Clippers G Milos Teodosic sat as part of his return from injury management.