The Houston Rockets are in big trouble. Not only are they down 3-1 after a 128-95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, they've had no answer for L.A in consecutive shellackings.
Their pedestrian answer in the first half was to foul the stuffing out of DeAndre Jordan - sending him to the free-throw line an NBA playoff-record 28 times in one half. He finished with 34 attempts in the game; the Clippers as a team finished with 63.
To briefly explain the ridiculous, little-used Rocket Clint Capela came into the game for the express purpose of hacking Jordan and picked up four fouls in two minutes. The first half took 90 minutes of real time to play.
Roger Clemens and Ken Griffey, Jr. here thinking they should go back to baseball, a faster-paced game.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 11, 2015
While Jordan only converted on 14 of the 34 tries, the Clippers went on a 21-4 run to open the second half and never looked back. The franchise is now on the verge of its first-ever trip to a conference finals. They've now won their last two games over the Rockets by a combined 58 points.
The Clippers are the first team to win back-to-back playoff games by at least 25 points since the Los Angeles Lakers did it to the San Antonio Spurs in 2001.
Turning point
The Clippers opened up the 21-4 third quarter run with big treys from Chris Paul and J.J. Redick and it was highlighted by two monster alley oops from Paul to Jordan (see below).
Later in the third, Howard picked up his fourth foul by trying to ensure Blake Griffin didn't posterize him. With Howard forced to sit, the Rockets never got within double digits again.
Early in the fourth, he fouled out while also receiving a technical. That highlighted a bigger issue with Howard's play. Since the series reverted to Los Angeles from Houston, the center's productivity has plummeted.
| Dwight Howard | FG% | PTS | REB | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games 1 & 2 | 71% | 23 | 13 | 4.5 |
| Games 3 & 4 | 44% | 10.5 | 10 | 1 |
On Sunday, he finished with as many fouls as total rebounds - six.
Star performers
Jordan finished with a game-high 26 points and 17 rebounds. Paul had 15 points and 12 assists, while Griffin went for 21 points and eight rebounds. Austin Rivers continues to turn narratives on its ear, finishing with an efficient 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench.
Higlight reel
Jordan's third quarter throwdowns must have been cathartic after he spent so much time at the line in the first half.
Game 1: Clippers 117, Rockets 101 (Clippers lead 1-0)
Game 2: Rockets 115, Clippers 109 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: Clippers 124, Rockets 99 (Clippers lead 2-1)
Game 4: Clippers 128, Rockets 95 (Clippers lead 3-1)
Game 5: Tuesday, May 12, 9:30 p.m. ET
Game 6*: Thursday, May 14, TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, May 17, TBD
