NBA Game Summary - LA Clippers at Houston
Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - James Harden had 21 points and 10 assists and Corey Brewer scored 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Donatas Motiejunas added 18 points, Trevor Ariza had 17 and Terrence Jones scored 14 for the Rockets, who took control with a big run to start the fourth quarter and improved to 3-0 on a five-game homestand.
Harden came into the game averaging fewer points against the Clippers -- 13.4 -- than any other NBA team in his six-year career. The NBA scoring leader took a while to heat up and finished just 4-of-13 from the field.
Three of his buckets were 3-pointers and he added 10 points at the foul line, including one with 29.3 seconds left that gave the Rockets their final margin.
He was at the line after taking a swat across the face from Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who was guarding Harden tight. Minutes earlier, Harden rolled his right ankle when he stepped on Paul's foot driving to the basket. He limped down the court, but remained in the game.
"It's pretty sore right now," Harden said. "But I'll get some rest tonight, ice it and get some rest tomorrow and hopefully I'll be ready to go Friday (against Brooklyn)."
Paul had 22 points and 14 assists for the Clippers, who have lost two in a row on the heels of a four-game winning streak that included a win over Houston prior to the All-Star break.
Jamal Crawford led Los Angeles with 24 points, DeAndre Jordan filled the stat sheet with 22 points and 19 rebounds and J.J. Redick scored 15 points.
"I feel like we let them get in the middle too much," said Jordan. "That opened up their 3s."
The Rockets snapped a six-game losing streak to the Clippers, taking the lead for good on Brewer's 3 a minute into the fourth quarter. It was part of a 15-1 run to open the quarter that gave Houston a 13-point lead with 7 1/2 minutes left and the Clippers were never within a possession of the lead after that.
"They beat us six times in a row, so it was really important for us to come out and get a win and just scrap," Harden said.
Harden missed all six of his shots in the first quarter but had four assists, helping the Rockets take a 27-26 lead into the second. He made his only shot of the second quarter, a 3, and hit all six of his foul shots for nine points.
Crawford scored 13 in the quarter and 18 in the half, but Jordan missed an alley-oop dunk from Paul in the final seconds that would have tied the score at intermission.
Four Rockets players scored in double digits for their 62-60 edge at the break and they went up by five early in the third quarter. But Paul scored 11 points in the quarter to help the Clippers carry an 85-84 lead into the fourth.