After missing three games with a toe injury, Paul Pierce made sure the Los Angeles Clippers closed out in dominating fashion against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Paul came off the bench for 18 minutes and scored all seven of his points in the second half, as L.A. showed just how dangerous it can be with the playoffs approaching. As Dan Woike of The Orange County Register wrote, every weapon was on display for the Clips in Houston—including their depth. Paul and the reserves combined for 47 points in the 122-106 shootout.

“When Paul Pierce has bounce in his legs, when Wesley Johnson breaks out of a slump and Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers hit their shots too, teams are going to be in trouble,” Woike wrote.

Los Angeles Clippers v Houston Rockets

The Rockets made a case for a comeback late in the game, but it wasn’t enough to erase the Clips’ hot start.

DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick forced the Rockets to pick their poison. Between the big’s emphatic dunks and the sharpshooter’s flurry of threes, Houston’s defense couldn’t help but crumble.

“When JJ’s shooting the ball like he was, that kind of opened the floor for us early, and then we got rolls,” Jordan said. “We got pretty much what we wanted.”

The Clippers shot 64 percent in the first half on their way to taking a 72-50 lead into intermission.

Paul played 7:50 in the third quarter, more than any bench player, running with starters and playing well. The Truth scored on a driving layup to bolster the Los Angeles lead at 21 points. Houston chipped it back down to 18 in the final minute of the third, but Paul made sure his squad closed the quarter strong. No. 34 buried a long three to make it 21 once again, and Jordan Crawford scored to make it 97-75 going into the final frame.

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Houston had one last push: A 21-8 run to get within 11, 109-98, but that was as close as the Rockets came to turning the tables.

Shooting guard James Harden poured in 33 points, as one of four Rockets to reach double digit scoring. Small forwards Trevor Ariza and Michael Beasley added 16 points apiece, and shooting guard Jason Terry chipped in with 11. But that wasn’t enough, as the Clippers feasted, scoring 27 points on 16 turnovers.

Meanwhile, Paul was one of eight Clippers with seven or more points. Redick led with 25 points and five triples, Jordan had 23 points with 16 boards, while Chris Paul totaled 15 points with a game-high 16 assists. Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson were all in double figures off the bench.

WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS – MAR. 17

1. Golden State Warriors (61.6)

2. San Antonio Spurs (57-10) 4 GB

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (46-22) 15.5 GB

4. Los Angeles Clippers (43-24) 18 GB

5. Memphis Grizzlies (39-29) 22.5 GB

6. Portland Trail Blazers (35-33) 26.5 GB

7. Houston Rockets (34-34) 27.5 GB

8. Dallas Mavericks (34-34) 27.5 GB

NEXT UP

L.A. takes a small break before resuming its road trip in Memphis on Saturday. The Clippers (43-24) will face the Grizzlies (39-29) for the second time this season.

In their first meeting Nov. 9, L.A. escaped with a 94-92 victory, despite a game-high 26 points from Zach Randolph. The power forward averages 14.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, while center Marc Gasol averages 16.6 points and 1.3 blocks per contest.

Memphis is 4-2 so far without its point guard, Mike Conley, who is out 3-4 weeks with Achilles tendinitis.

With tipoff set of 5 p.m. PT.

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