Clippers-Rockets Game

The Clippers demonstrated one round ago their ability to stay even-keeled during the highs and lows of the postseason.

They dealt with a 27-point loss only to return a game later and win in San Antonio. They followed that win with a loss at home, only to go back to San Antonio and steal another victory. As the Clippers return home for Friday’s game in a 1-1 series, that first-round experience is something they want to draw on.  

“This is playoff basketball,” said Blake Griffin. “The ups and the downs, it’s what we always talk about. If we learned anything from last series, it’s that one game doesn’t have as big an effect on a series as everyone makes it out to be.”

The Clippers felt like they let one slip away, getting out to a double-digit lead in Houston before the Rockets stormed back in the second half to even the series. But as much as they wanted to come home with a 2-0 lead, the Clippers still managed to do what most road teams hope for by stealing home court advantage.

They also managed to do it without their star point guard, Chris Paul (hamstring), who missed the first two games of the series and whose status is still in question for Game 3.

“We believe in ourselves,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “We really do. I like this team, they like each other and we compete. You add all those ingredients, you get over wins quickly…and you get over losses pretty quickly as well.”

LAST TIME OUT

Rockets 115, Clippers 109 – The Clippers’ 32 free throw attempts were their third most in a game this postseason, and the Rockets still found a way to shoot twice as many free throws as the Clippers, as Houston went on to even the series. The Rockets’ 64 free throw attempts were the most for any playoff team in a game since 1993, and James Harden took advantage by going 15-for-15 from the line and scoring 32 points. The Rockets had no answer in the first half for Blake Griffin, who finished with 34 points and 15 rebounds.

NOTEWORTHY MATCHUP

Blake Griffin vs. Rockets’ Interior Defenders – The Rockets had no answer for Griffin in the first half Wednesday. He had 26 points by halftime on 11-of-14 shooting, doing basically whatever he wanted offensively and leaving Houston searching for answers. Then the Rockets switched it up. They fronted him with a man and provided help behind him, which Rivers said led to the Clippers forcing it to Griffin instead of moving the ball. Now it’s on the Clippers to adjust. Whatever they do, Griffin, who’s fourth in points, second in rebounds and fifth in assists among players still in the playoffs, will still be a load to deal with for the Rockets.

TWO THINGS TO WATCH

Fouls – The Clippers hadn’t allowed a team to shoot more than 46 free throw attempts in a game all season. Then came Game 2 of this series, when the Rockets shot 64. It changed the momentum of the game, and perhaps the series, as it allowed them to chip away at the Clippers’ lead in the game and eventually take it.

The Rockets and Clippers were both in the top five in the NBA during the regular season in free throw attempts per game, and both teams are getting to the line more often than any two teams in the playoffs. But Houston’s shooting nearly 10 more free throws per game than any other team in the postseason, and while the “Hack-A-“ strategy contributed to some of those free throws in Game 2, Rivers knows his group has to stop allowing the Rockets’ dribble penetration leading to the trips to the line. “They were the aggressors all night, and they got rewarded with going to the free-throw line,” Rivers said. “So that was on us.”

Ball Movement – The Clippers rolled into the second half of Game 2 with 65 points, 14 assists and a nine-point lead. Then the ball stopped moving. The Clippers had just six assists in the second half while scoring just three more points in the third and fourth quarters combined than they had in the second quarter. The Clippers averaged the third-most assists per game during the regular season, and this marked just the third time this postseason they dished out 20 assists or fewer. It’s uncharacteristic for the Clippers’ ball movement to be poor, and they know that’ll have to change to get back on track.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Jamal Crawford: “They played with more thrust and were in a do or die situation. It was a desperate situation and the crawled back and you can tip your hat to them and we’ll get ready for game three.”

Blake Griffin: “We didn’t execute there in the second half. I thought we were great in the first half, well in the second quarter, I guess. This team is going to fight no matter who is on the floor. I think that we even saw that this year too.”

Austin Rivers: “The last three or four minutes we were in desperation mode and through that we started attacking the basket, making plays, getting shots and suddenly came back. When we play like that, no one can beat us. We have to get back to playing like that and like in Game 1.”