Another Close Call for the LA Clippers, Beat Houston Rockets, 122-119

The Los Angeles Clippers won another tight and exciting game at Staples, this time against Houston Rockets, 122-119. It appears that Doc Rivers’ boys like to play dramatic endings and that they know how to handle all the pressure. They dispersed the responsibility in the final moments, with all of their players taking an equal share of the burden in the decisive moments. George, Kawhi, and Lou Williams, all of them had critical roles.

“That’s a good win, I can’t lie,” said Williams after the game. “Back to back good games like that, the fans should be excited.”

And they were.

Russell Westbrook missed what could have been a game-winning three, 1.9 seconds before the end, with the ball coming to Paul George. At that point, the hosts were up 120-119, and with two sunk free throws by PG, the Rockets had theoretical chances to come back.

But the guests from Texas had their chances to take this contest. When Clint Capela added two points following his offensive rebound with 1:26 to go, the Rockets had a 115-109 lead. Lou Williams responded with a three, while PJ Tucker scored a two-point shot on the other end to create a five-point difference between two sides, 117-112. However, Paul George dropped a three, on Williams’ assist, who would later add a go-ahead downtown hit, with 30.8 seconds to go.

Kawhi delivered the goods in crunch time 😤 pic.twitter.com/wnpfDAPCDe

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) November 23, 2019

Harden scored two free throws, handing Houston a 119-118 lead, but Kawhi Leonard delivered a jumper to hit back. Westbrook would later miss the shot to win the game.

After beating the Celtics in overtime, Doc Rivers’ team once again showed great composure. The Clippers often take down their opponents in the final period, even though they trail throughout most of the match. The hosts dropped 42 in the closing 12 minutes.

“We had Lou, we had Kawhi and we had Paul,” said Rivers.

But that wasn’t the case in this one. LAC opened the event better, making a 12-4 run in the opening five minutes. That difference stayed like that until the end of the first period and even increased in the second. Midway through that sequence, they had a 12-point advantage, 46-32. But the Rockets made a 12-0 series to reach the rivals, and started the third quarter very strong pulling away to 11 points.

However, that was when Lou Williams stepped in. Sweet Lou didn’t score a single basket in the first half. He would drop 14 of his 26 in the third, single-handedly carrying the Clippers in these tough moments. They would eventually reach the guests and stay close until the final few minutes when they turned the tables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoxkWhWq1C0

Williams ended the night with 8 assists, four threes, shooting 9 for 16 from the field.

“I wasn’t being as aggressive as I should have been, I got a couple of free throws to go, to get me going, I got the layup, you know the scorers when they see the ball going in the hole it gets big,” Sweet Lou explained how he started pounding in the third.

Leonard played 28 minutes and had 24 points, with 6 boards and 3 steals. George had 19, but got 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Harrell contributed with 18 buckets.

On the other side, James Harden poured 37, with 12 assists and 8 rebounds. The Beard had 18 free-throw attempts, making 14 of them. Since the season started, the Rockets’ leader didn’t have a match with fewer than 10 FTs. He also hit 5 threes.

Westbrook had 22, shooting 9 for 22, with 6 assists and 5 rebounds. Clint Capela once again had a double-double with 17 points and monstrous 19 boards.

The Rockets are 11-5 now, and have a state clash against Luka Doncic and the Mavs on Sunday. The game will take place at Toyota Center.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are also 11-5. They await the Pelicans on Sunday.