Rockets vs. Clippers: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 NBA Playoffs
Is it possible for a player to have a revenge game aimed toward his own fans? If so, then that's exactly what Austin Rivers had Friday night, as the Los Angeles Clippers coasted to a 124-99 Game 3 victory over the Houston Rockets. LA now owns a 2-1 lead in its second-round series with Houston.
Rivers was the Clippers' second-leading scorer with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting. The team's Twitter account summed it up perfectly:
The Clippers crowd was chanting Rivers' name in the third quarter, which is a far cry from the criticism leveled his and coach Doc Rivers' way ever since the younger Rivers arrived in Los Angeles.
J.J. Redick, meanwhile, dropped a game-high 31 points, connecting on five of his six three-point attempts. ESPN Stats & Info provided Redick's shot chart from the game:
Much has been made of Los Angeles' weak supporting cast, but Redick and Rivers stole the show in Game 3.
They made Blake Griffin's 22 points look positively pedestrian. Chris Paul added 12 points and seven assists in his return to the court.
Paul had missed the first two games of the series as he recovered from a hamstring injury. Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reported Friday night that Paul would indeed start and be placed on a "visual minutes restriction."
Doc Rivers joked that working out with Sam Cassell, an assistant on LA's staff, likely helped the eight-time All-Star rebuild any self-belief he might have lost during his time on the bench, per NBC Sports' Kurt Helin:
Although Paul only played 23 minutes Friday, he gave the Clippers a massive lift. Rivers continues to fill in admirably for Paul, but Los Angeles is a much better team with its All-Star floor general directing the action.
Between his presence and a strong home-court advantage, LA built momentum as the contest wore on, eventually pulling away in the third quarter for an unassailable lead.
The Clippers once again limited Houston guard James Harden offensively. Although he scored 25 points and dished out 11 assists, he only got to the foul line five times and turned the ball over five times as well. His first attempt from the charity stripe didn't come until the third quarter.
Dwight Howard had 14 points and 14 rebounds, but the Rockets center missed seven of his 11 free throws and only attempted 11 shots.
The Clippers led for almost the entirety of the game. They owned a 33-24 lead after the first quarter and nearly had an identical edge heading into halftime. Harden nailed a jumper at the buzzer to get Houston to within seven at the break.
The Rockets were well within striking distance to start the third quarter, but by the time the quarter ended, the game was all but over. Los Angeles went on an 18-0 run to end the third frame and take a 23-point lead, 99-76.
Austin Rivers was the main spark for that run. He made six of his eight field-goal attempts and scored 15 points in the third period. He was hitting nearly everything, including this impressive layup on the fast break, via the NBA:
At one point, Rivers' confidence was so high that he mimicked Harden's trademark celebration after knocking down a three-pointer.
After that scoring run, Los Angeles cruised to victory in the fourth quarter to take the series lead.
Friday's game was certainly a cathartic moment for Austin Rivers and likely for his father as well. After facing so much criticism throughout the season, ESPN's Bomani Jones thinks that the point guard is looking less and less like the goat:
This was already a contentious series, but Matt Barnes' comments toward Harden's mother in Game 2 (via CBS Sports' Matt Moore) fanned the flames. On Friday, Barnes was on the receiving end of a hard foul early in the game.
Emotions then boiled over in the fourth quarter as some of the Rockets players became increasingly agitated with the way the game got out of hand. Jason Terry was ejected for a shove on Griffin in the fourth quarter. ESPN's Arash Markazi wonders if the league will tack on an additional punishment:
Although Terry isn't one of the most integral Rockets players, Houston can ill afford to lose his shooting in the event he's suspended for another game.
You get the sense that the Rockets might seriously rue their Game 1 loss. The Clippers were on the road and without Paul, but Houston still fell by 16 points.
Los Angeles should only get stronger in this series as Paul gets more and more healthy, even if he doesn't get back fully to 100 percent. Game 4 is teetering on the brink of being considered a must-win situation for the Rockets. If they fall behind 3-1, then they may not be able to claw their way back.
