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 When the Clippers attack in that manner, they are almost
unstoppable.
Redick delivered a scorching start before Paul and Jordan combined
to take the offense to another level in the Los Angeles' 122-106 win
over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.
The Clippers (43-24) led throughout to bounce back from a blowout
loss to the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday night and even their
record on a critical five-game road swing at 1-1.
"We played OK yesterday, not good enough to beat a team like San
Antonio at home," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "That game was
over with. This morning we didn't watch one second of film on San
Antonio. We went right to Houston and focused on them and came out
with the win, and now we've got to forget about this one and focus
on Memphis."
Los Angeles shot 60.9 percent in the first quarter and 68.4 percent
in the second en route to a season-high 72-point half and 22-point
advantage at the intermission.
 Redick scored 14 of his 25 points by the midpoint of the first
quarter, doing so by making his first five shot attempts. When the
Rockets cut an early double-digit deficit to seven points, Paul and
Jordan followed with a series of devastating alley-oops that rebuilt
that double-digit cushion.
Jordan finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, while Paul added 15
points and 16 assists. When the Rockets sliced what had been a
24-point deficit to 11 late in the fourth quarter, Redick responded
with a 3-pointer -- his fifth of the night -- for a 114-100 lead
with 3:40 to play.
"We try to take what the defense gives us," Paul said. "They were up
on the ball screens, and D.J. always does a great job of rolling (to
the basket). I've just got to throw it somewhere in the arena, and
he goes and gets it."
The Clippers' bench proved critical to expanding the lead in the
second quarter, and three reserves scored in double figures on the
night: Jamal Crawford (14 points), Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson
(12 apiece). Crawford added seven assists. Los Angeles earned a
split of the four-game season series.
James Harden paced the Rockets (34-34) with 33 points and eight
assists. Trevor Ariza added 16 points and six rebounds, and Michael
Beasley chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes off
the bench.
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The Clippers' exceptional 3-point shooting kept the Rockets at bay
in the first half. After Beasley cut the deficit to 42-30 with a
layup, the Clippers responded with four treys over the next four
minutes to stretch their lead to 23 points.
"We've been doing that all season long, consistently getting off to
bad starts defensively, not playing until its desperation time, and
more times than not, you're going to lose," Rockets guard Jason
Terry said.
Even when Los Angeles failed to score baskets, Houston failed to
make headway. The Clippers managed just two field goals during one
10-plus-minute stretch bridging the second and third periods, but
the Rockets proved unable to put a dent in the deficit. Houston
trailed 72-48 when Paul hit a step-back jumper with 6.8 seconds left
in the first half, and when Luc Mbah a Moute scored with 3:00 left
in the third, the Rockets trailed 88-67. That was just the Clippers'
second basket in the period.
"We didn't come out with any force defensively," Rockets interim
coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "You give up 35 points and 37 points in
two quarters of play against a very good team, coming back is going
to be tough, if not impossible."
NOTES: Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated that F Josh
Smith could work his way back into the rotation and blamed his
recent benching on Smith being out of shape. Smith, who joined
Houston via trade with the Clippers on Jan. 22, shot .246/.152/.200
while averaging 3.8 points over his last 10 games before being
benched five games ago. ... The Clippers signed F Jeff Ayres for the
remainder of the season. Ayres had appeared in five games averaging
1.2 points and 0.6 rebounds in 2.8 minutes. He originally signed
with the Clippers on Jan. 23, the first of two 10-day contracts. ...
The Clippers recalled G C.J. Wilcox from the Canton Charge of the
NBA Development League. Wilcox has appeared in 13 games for the
Clippers, averaging 1.5 points in 4.6 minutes, though he didn't play
Wednesday.
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