Clippers Find Rhythm Behind Redick, Knock Off Rockets In OT Thriller

After five straight losses to Houston, the LA Clippers got a long overdue victory over the Rockets.

J.J. Redick proved why he is undoubtedly the fourth-most important player on the Clippers roster, as he had a career night to help boost the squad over their conference rival Rockets.

For half the night, Redick was one three-pointer shy of tying the Clippers record for most three-pointers in a game with eight.

He made the Staples Center wait until overtime, but it was worth it as he knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to spark the run that put Houston away.

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Redick finished the night with a dazzling 40 points.  His nine three pointers tied the record held by former Clipper Caron Butler.

He also went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line including several in the fourth quarter to put pressure on the Houston offense down the stretch.

The Rockets gave Los Angeles everything they could handle in the fourth quarter, erasing a 14-point deficit. Marcus Thornton hit two clutch shots beyond the arc that kept things a one possession game in the final minute.

Thornton ended up finishing the night with 23 points; second most for the team.

Lost in the drama of the evening was a dominant performance on the boards from Dwight Howard, who had 36 points and 16 rebounds.  He was also notably one of the better players from the free-throw line, making 14 of 18.

Assisted, of course, by the stellar performances of his teammates, James Harden, had 20 points.

Behind Redick, Chris Paul had a brilliant night of his own with 28 points, 12 assists and 6 rebounds.  Paul also hit critical shots from three-point range, going 5 of 7.

DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds, while Jamal Crawford rounded out the stat sheet with 17 points.

Overall, the Clippers made 22 three-pointers on the night — one shy of the NBA record.

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The team has now won 10 of 11 games without Blake Griffin and have only lost one game since Christmas Day.

Team reports have said that Griffin hopes to return in the midst of the Clippers upcoming road trip in the Eastern Conference.

Griffin’s return will raise questions on what changes to the rotation will be made as the squad has found a great rhythm without their star.  Doc Rivers has commented that on-paper the team is the deepest that he has ever coached.

Most importantly, the team is finally playing like it to begin 2016.

The ability to integrate Griffin while maintaining the current efficiency of the squad will be very crucial if the Clippers wish to clinch the third seed from the Thunder and avoid a first round clash with the Warriors.

The Clippers now play their next five games on the road and do not return to Staples Center until the end of the month.

Most pressing in that span is a match-up with the defending Eastern Conference champions: the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The match-up comes at a great time for the Clippers as LeBron James and his squad suffered their worse loss of the season against the Golden State Warriors in an earlier match-up on Martin Luther King day.

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With the Cavaliers undoubtedly scrambling to put things back together, the Clippers current surge in momentum puts them in a great place to secure their biggest victory of the season.