Triples, treys, three-balls galore — maybe everything ought to come in threes after the Los Angeles Clippers’ overtime victory versus the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Paul Pierce knocked down a trifecta of triples on his way to totaling 12 points and five rebounds, and LAC set a franchise mark, scoring 22 three-pointers to hold off a furious fourth-quarter Houston rally and capture a 140-132 victory.
J.J. Redick went off for a career-high 40 points and nine three-pointers, which tied Carson Butler’s club record for trifectas made. The win snapped a four-game losing streak to the Rockets, including two earlier this year—which made the big night all the better for Redick.
“I think I take most losses personally, not just to the Rockets,” Redick said. “But going back to last year, we had lost five in a row. CP and I talked earlier today just about how frustrating it’s been. They’re a team that thinks they’re better than us, and rightfully so given the results over the past season and a half. So it was important tonight for us to hit them first and be more aggressive from the start.”
Lights-out shooting lit up the Staples Center, as both teams shot at least 50 percent from the floor, but LAC edged Houston in three-point shooting, besting its 34 percent with 56. Houston used its size and strength to split defenders for 64 points in the paint, but it was no match for L.A. sharpshooters.
Redick and Chris Paul’s plan for a fast start was in action early. By the end of the first, the two had combined for 22 points, including 6-of-6 shooting from distance, and the Clips led 33-21.
“I haven’t seen him locked in like this, shooting the ball, since he was at Duke, doing it against us at Wake (Forest),” said point guard Chris Paul, who totaled 28 points, 12 assists and six steals.
Houston chipped back to within seven, but the Clippers took their largest lead of 16 points, outscoring the Rockets 35-28 in the third quarter behind a strong period from Pierce. Redick opened the period with consecutive threes before The Truth took his turn. He launched a triple but was fouled in the act—he hit 2-of-3 from the line and wasn’t done there.
The Truth blocked a James Harden three-pointer and buried a 13-footer on the other end. Moments later, CP3’s behind-the-back pass found Paul for the first of his two triples. Next, No. 34 knocked down another three, scoring his eighth consecutive point in less than a minute to make it a 15-point cushion.
After leading 94-80 to end the third quarter, the Clippers stumbled down the stretch and were outscored 42-28 to end regulation. No. 34 played less than two minutes in the quarter, as the Rockets outshot the Clippers 75 percent to 48 — they even took a turn with the three-ball themselves, hitting 4-of-8.
The Rockets never led in the fourth, but they tied the contest when it counted. Dwight Howard, who had 36 points and 26 boards, dunked all over the Clips to total four of the five slams in the period, but it was Marcus Thornton who splashed his second triple in a seven-second span to tie it at 122 with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
“Our execution on the last couple of plays that let them have threes was poor,” head coach Doc Rivers said. “But what I liked was that everyone was furious going into overtime. We got our composure back and played well.”
Naturally, three-pointers made the difference in the extra period. Jamal Crawford, Redick and CP3 used the three-ball to score LAC’s first nine points — the final seven points were scored from the line, as Houston desperately tried to get stops down the stretch.
Outscored 18-10, the Rockets never led in overtime.
NEXT UP
The Clippers will now embark on a five-game road swing with stops in Cleveland (28-11), New York (21-22), Toronto (26-15), Indiana (22-19) and Atlanta (25-17).
“This is a good road trip because it’s hard,” Doc Rivers said. “It’s not like easy games on this trip, so you have to go out and play and play well to win.”
First game is scheduled to broadcast nationally on TNT at 5 p.m. PT against the East-leading Cavaliers. Monday night, Cleveland suffered an embarrassing 132-98 loss to Golden State on Monday in their first meeting since the NBA Finals.
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