Eric Gordon leads Los Angeles Clippers to 106-103 win over the Houston Rockets
Eric Gordon marked his comeback from an 18 game injury layoff in style, as he scored 24 points, to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a hard-fought 106-103 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. The result meant the Clippers snapped their five-game
losing streak.
An excited Gordon told reporters after the game, "I just started shooting the ball about a week ago, but I've been staying in shape. That's all I've been doing. I've been running every day. The toughest part was just sitting there, knowing that I could have
been out there helping the team in some way. It was good to finally come back and help the guys get a win.”
The 22-year-old Gordon was leading the Clippers with a 24.1 scoring average prior to his injury in a victory against Golden State Warriors on 22 January at the Staples Centre. Chris Kaman came off the bench to have a productive game as he scored 10 of his
21 points in the fourth quarter and also had nine rebounds.
Blake Griffin played one of the best games of the season as he had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the victors. Point guard Mo Williams played his first home game for the Clippers, contributing 17 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
Kyle Lowry led Houston with 24 points and 11 assists while Courtney Lee added 18 points in the defeat. Luis Scola and Kevin Martin scored 12 points each for the Rockets, who saw their five-game winning streak snapped.
Match Analysis
The Clippers went into this game on the back of a five-game losing streak. However, they played quality shots, clogged the middle of the court, and didn’t take long to thrash the Rockets.
Los Angeles and Houston played quality shots early in the opening quarter to take control of the contest. However, the Clippers managed to make it to the free throw line halfway through the quarter, and took a slim 23-21 lead going into the second.
The Rockets responded with six three-pointers in the second quarter, taking a 54-49 lead into the locker room. The Clippers began the third quarter aggressively and converted the five-point half time deficit into a 75-69 lead, heading into the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, the Rockets went on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 91-91. Gordon answered with a pair of free throws to make it 103-97 in favour of the Clippers with 29.2 seconds left on the clock. The Rockets Chase Budinger then hit a breathtaking
three-pointer to make it a one-point game at 104-103 with just eight seconds to go. However, Williams scored two of his three free throws to seal the victory.
Tags: