Clippers vs. Rockets: Game 1 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs

Going forward, starting Austin Rivers at point guard may not be the most optimal strategy for the Los Angeles Clippers. But it didn't matter Monday night, as L.A. earned a huge 117-101 win on the road in the Toyota Center against the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals.

Blake Griffin was once again a monster, scoring 26 points, grabbing 14 boards and dishing out 13 assists. According to ESPN Stats & Info, only two other frontcourt players have had back-to-back triple-doubles in the postseason:

DeAndre Jordan had a double-double of his own (10 points, 13 rebounds), while Matt Barnes and J.J. Redick combined for 37 points. Rivers had 17 points in Paul's stead, coming alive in the second half to help propel Los Angeles' comeback.

As much as the Clippers' lack of depth is rightfully discussed, Los Angeles got so much contribution across the board. Six different players scored in double figures.

The Rockets, meanwhile, got a disjointed performance from James Harden, who had 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting but turned the ball over nine times. Dwight Howard had 22 points and 10 rebounds, but Houston was minus-17 with him on the floor.

Before Game 1 got underway, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers announced that Paul would be unable to play due to a hamstring injury, per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

Paul's absence by itself could have been a hammer blow to L.A., especially since Rivers had been ineffective ever since moving over in a trade. Considering those factors, many predicted doom for the Clippers on Monday.

And that appeared intact at halftime, when the Rockets led by four despite sloppy play.

Through the first two quarters, Houston had turned the ball over 14 times, while Howard and Harden had combined for 19 points. Harden went scoreless for the whole of the second quarter. Trevor Ariza helped out with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while the team was plus-13 when Josh Smith was on the floor.

Houston doesn't boast a ton of depth, but its problems are nothing compared to what the Clippers had to deal with. Griffin and Crawford accounted for 27 of Los Angeles' 46 first-half points. Barnes and Redick combined to miss all five of their three-point attempts.

ESPN.com's Arash Markazi felt those two needed to step up the most in Paul's absence, and they weren't delivering:

In order to keep things close, Doc Rivers was forced to send the Rockets to the foul line, a strategy that didn't sit well with Harden:

In response to his players constantly going to the charity stripe, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale responded in kind, which the home fans loved to see, per ClutchFans:

ESPN.com's J.A. Adande ultimately felt the tactic didn't work anyway since Los Angeles was no closer to overtaking Houston:

It was tough to tell just who felt better about how the first half played out.

The Clippers were only four points down on the road without Paul on the floor, but given Harden's offensive struggles, perhaps Los Angeles should have done more. On the other side, Houston didn't play all that well and still had the lead.

Early in the second half, Nate Duncan highlighted one of the bigger problems on the offensive end for the Clippers. Without Paul shepherding the group, the players looked lost at times:

In spite of it all, though, Los Angeles somehow took the lead in the third quarter, and it got there with a lot of help from Rivers. The Rockets also helped out as well, with their first-half sloppiness carrying over into the third.

Maybe Houston underestimated the Clippers with Paul out, but that doesn't help explain what appeared to be a general apathy throughout the squad. ESPN's Robert Flores wanted to see some urgency from Houston:

Meanwhile, Doc Rivers was firmly enjoying the reversal in fortunes, per NBA on TNT:

The Clippers outscored the Rockets 37-27 in the third to grab an 83-77 lead.

The big question then became whether L.A.'s short bench would result in Griffin, Jordan and Jamal Crawford wearing down in the fourth quarter, allowing the Rockets to get back into the game.

On the contrary, the Clippers' lead stretched to double digits as Barnes and Redick found their shooting strokes and the Rockets continued shooting themselves in the foot offensively. Josh Smith can be a dynamic scorer at times, but his penchant for taking bad shots really bit Houston in the fourth quarter as it attempted its comeback.

This may not be the biggest surprise of the postseason so far, but it's certainly up there. The Clippers likely entered this series as underdogs, and almost nobody would've given them a shot in Game 1 with Paul out.

CBS Sports' Matt Moore wanted to pump the brakes on the idea that this win completely turns the tide in the series:

Indeed, it's hard to imagine Harden having a worse game and the Rockets being as mentally checked out as they appeared to be. Maybe this is the wake-up call Houston needed.

And even when Paul returns, depth will remain an issue for L.A. The Clippers advanced past the San Antonio Spurs, but the deeper into the postseason they go, the more minutes they're heaping upon Griffin and Paul.

Maybe Game 2 can be a bit of a return to normalcy so fans get a more accurate picture of how this series might unfold.