Clippers face Rockets with focus on home court (Apr 10, 2017)
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Clippers' pursuit of home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs continues against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center on Monday.
Los Angeles (49-31) is tied with the Utah Jazz (49-31) for fourth place in the Western Conference with each team having two games remaining. The clubs are guaranteed to meet in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Clippers finish tied with Utah, Los Angeles will gain home-court advantage because it won the season series with the Jazz.
The Clippers enter their Monday game with a five-game winning streak, and they were victorious in eight of their past 10 games. They gained a tie for the fourth spot by beating the San Antonio Spurs 98-87 on Saturday while the Jazz dropped a 101-86 decision to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Los Angeles coach Doc Rivers stressed the importance of playing well down the stretch, and subsequently, the Clippers gained ground on Utah in the final weeks of the season.
The Clippers are proving stingy on defense of late, limiting the opposition to 97.3 points a game in their past three wins.
"We're no longer playing teams, we're playing ourselves," Rivers said. "Home court is important but someone isn't going to get it. We will be ready no matter what. I like how we're playing -- I like how we are growing."
Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul agrees with his coach and feels the team is playing its finest ball of the season with a healthy Blake Griffin back in the lineup. Griffin missed 21 games due to injury this season but when paired with center DeAndre Jordan, he gives the team a 1-2 inside punch few can match.
"Our bigs are so athletic -- I can't think of any team in the league that has more athletic bigs than us," Paul said. "So, when we play at that pace, that tempo, we're tough."
The Clippers will end the regular season at home Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.
Houston (54-26) has nothing at stake from a standings perspective and will be playing the second of a back-to-back set. The Rockets defeated the Kings 135-128 Sunday at Sacramento behind a triple-double by MVP candidate James Harden, who registered 35 points, 11 rebounds and 15 assists. Harden had plenty of support, with Clint Capela and Lou Williams adding 18 points and Bobby Brown 16 points.
The Rockets will have the home-court advantage over the Oklahoma City Thunder (46-34) in the first round of the playoffs.
Harden is in a battle with the Thunder's Russell Westbrook for MVP, but the Rockets star pointed to his team's superior record as a factor in the race Sunday.
"I think that's the most important thing. I thought winning is what this is about -- period," Harden said. "I'm not going to get in depth with all that, but I thought winning was the most important thing. If you set your team up in a position to have a chance, at the ultimate goal, that's the most important thing."
Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said of his teammate, "He's a special player. There are not a lot of players who come around like him, and he does it effortlessly. ... He's having a ridiculous year, and he's leading us. He's the MVP in my opinion."
The Rockets have been the model of consistency. The win on Sunday was the third time in four seasons they reached the 54-win mark.
Houston coach Mike D'Antoni rested Eric Gordon along with backup forward Trevor Ariza and center Nene on Sunday. It was not known which players would suit up for the game against the Clippers. The Rockets won the two previous contests between the two teams, 140-116 on Dec. 30 and 122-103 on March 1.
The Clippers should expect to see an up-tempo offense to test their recent defensive prowess. The Rockets scored 78 first-half points against the Kings, the 10th time this season the Houston scored at least 70 points in a half after registering that total only once last season.
