One of the most unwatchable quarters of this NBA season began with a missed layup by the Clippers. Then Houston missed its own layup, grabbed its own offensive rebound, only to turn it over.
The Clippers responded by throwing the ball out of bounds. The teams would combine for three more misses before Rockets big man Christian Wood scored the third quarter’s first points, nearly 90 seconds in.
By the third quarter’s end, the Clippers had scored 11 points, their fewest in any quarter this season, and produced as many turnovers as baskets (five). Houston could not pull away because it was little better, scoring just 19 points, with five turnovers too. During one stretch lasting more than three minutes, the teams combined for one basket, 10 misses and three turnovers.
The Clippers had won 10 of their last 11 games entering Friday night’s game at Toyota Center in Houston. Their charmed run since the All-Star break in March has lasted so long that a night with this much disorder felt past due, even if they were without four starters and even if the opponent was the Rockets, a team with just four wins since Feb. 4.
Yet for as unrecognizable as the Clippers’ NBA-leading offense looked in the third, they reverted to a more familiar form in the fourth quarter. Back was the grit of a roster that has refused to wilt since early March, and along with it, the nearly unstoppable offense of Paul George.
George scored 33 points to guide the Clippers to a 109-104 victory, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter. His last few came on free throws with 7.4 seconds left to push a three-point lead to a more comfortable five. He added a season-high 14 rebounds.
When Houston’s Kelly Olynyk scored a quick layup, Clippers guard Reggie Jackson made two free throws with 4.0 seconds to play to finish off an 11th win in the last 12 games. It was fitting that Jackson’s points ended the game because his scoring jump-started his team to begin the fourth quarter. He had 13 of his 19 points in the final quarter.
The Clippers (43-19) prevailed without starting forward Marcus Morris, who was a late scratch because of rest. Patrick Patterson started in his place and finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
Coach Tyronn Lue shook his head when sitting down for his postgame videoconference with reporters. He believed George and Jackson, who had sat because of rest Wednesday, were rusty early. Friday was the Clippers’ 12th game in the last 20 days
“Guys looked a little tired today,” Lue said. “We just found a way to dig deep.”
Dressed in a black sweatsuit, Kawhi Leonard gave instructions to Jackson during a late fourth-quarter timeout. It was the third game the All-Star has missed since the team announced Tuesday that his sore right foot would be reevaluated. Serge Ibaka, the center who has not played since March 14 because of back tightness, did not make the road trip but has returned to the practice court, Lue said before tipoff.
“He was on the floor, playing a little four-on-four, I think five-on-five, four-on-four maybe, and you know, he’s progressing,” Lue said. “We’re not sure the timetable when he’ll be back, but that was his first time getting on the floor and actually doing some playing, so that’s a good start.”
