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Zubac paired 22 points with 12 rebounds to lead the Clippers to
their sixth win in seven games -- with the past two of them
coming against Houston.
Jackson had 17 points, six assists and five rebounds while
Morris chipped in 18 points while shooting 4 of 6 from 3-point
range. The Clippers moved two games over .500 for the first time
since Dec. 22.
The Rockets absorbed their 10th consecutive loss. Jalen Green
scored 20 points, Christian Wood tallied 17 points and eight
rebounds and Jae'Sean Tate posted 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Clippers seized control with a 40-point third quarter, a
period during which they shot 58.3 percent while converting
seven of their nine 3-point attempts. The deciding run, a 16-4
burst midway through the period, featured three Jackson
3-pointers plus two dunks from Zubac, who also added an assist.
The Clippers secured their first double-digit lead at 73-63 with
the blitz and pulled away behind Zubac, who produced the
defining moment of the period. He contested a shot by Alperen
Sengun (13 points, nine rebounds) on the defensive end before
beating Sengun down the court and finishing a dunk through a
Sengun foul.
Zubac, who had 10 points and seven boards in the third,
completed the three-point play as the Clippers extended their
lead to 83-70 at the 2:01 mark.
Morris and Jackson scored nine points each in the third quarter
to support Zubac. When the Rockets went the opening 3:05 of the
fourth without scoring, their deficit swelled to 96-75.
Houston enjoyed promising moments prior to the collapse. Wood
posted 12 points, three rebounds and two blocks in a forceful
opening quarter, enabling the Rockets to rally from a six-point
deficit to take a short-lived lead. Houston found an extended
rhythm in the second, erasing a 34-29 deficit with an 18-6 run
keyed by 3-pointers from Sengun, Tate, Dennis Schroder and
Garrison Mathews.
However, Schroder was slowed by an ankle injury after the
Rockets claimed a 47-40 lead, and while he remained in the game,
the Clippers closed the half with a 9-3 burst and grabbed the
momentum.
--Field Level Media
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