Los Angeles Clippers hold nerves in overtime to squeak past Houston Rockets 105-103 - NBA Recap
Games like these are what make basketball so fascinating.
20 ties, 24 lead changes in a period of just 53 minutes - what a thriller it was.
In the end, although Los Angeles Clippers were on the winning side, however the real winner was the game itself.
Both Clippers and the Houston Rockets fought their heart out in the first 48 minutes and neither team was ahead by the final buzzer, as the game went into an overtime to decide the winner.
Rockets held the upper hand in the first few minutes of the O.T and were heading to a win, ahead by 103-100. However after that, they froze and on the other hand, the Clippers, courtesy of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, reeled off
a 5-0 spurt to seal a thrilling 105-103 victory.
Paul was the most outstanding player of the night. He marshalled the Clippers with a game high 28 points on 8 for 10 from the charity stripe and 10 assists.
"Both teams made some big plays, but ultimately, we got some big stops to get us the win," Paul said.
Randy Foye had 15 points on 6 for 7 from the floor including 3 for 4 from the long range, while Caron Butler, Maurice Williams and Blake Griffin all finished with 14 points each.
"This was a win we needed," Griffin said. "It is a relief."
Kevin Martin paced the Rockets with 25 points on a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw line, 3 boards and 8 assists. He was mighty disappointed with the final outcome of the game.
"Both teams were playing well," Martin said. "I think that's why it hurts the most. We have been harping over coming out and setting a tone, effort-wise. We did everything right, except for one thing."
Samuel Dalembert and Luis Scola both completed a double-double with 17 points, 12 boards and 16 points, 12 boards. Kyle Lowry sealed 14 points on 2 for 3 from the long range while the reserve Courtney Lee drained 13 points.
Except the first quarter which was more in the favour of the Rockets, neither team managed to dominate the other in the next three frames. Clippers although finished the second and third quarter with small leads but the Rockets
were never out of the game at any instance.
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