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Griffin soars as Clippers shoot down Rockets
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BLAKE Griffin had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double to lift the Chris Paul-less Los Angeles Clippers to a 117-101 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals.
In the East, Derrick Rose scored 25 points and Pau Gasol added 21 as the Chicago Bulls beat the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers 99-92 in the first game of their semifinal series.
Houston scored five straight points to cut the lead to one with about 7 1/2 minutes left. Matt Barnes then made two 3-pointers in a 12-0 run to give the Clippers a comfortable 101-88 lead and they coasted to the victory.
Paul, who has a strained left hamstring, missed his first game of the season. But Jamal Crawford had 21 points and Barnes added 20 for the Clippers.
“Without Chris, everybody has to step up,” Griffin said. “But it’s not one person’s job, it’s everybody’s job. And if you look at the stat sheet tonight, it was everybody.”
Houston was well-rested after having six days off after beating Dallas in five games. The Clippers showed no signs of fatigue despite having only about 48 hours to get ready for this series after eliminating defending champion San Antonio in Game 7 on Saturday.
Dwight Howard led Houston with 22 points and James Harden added 20.
In Cleveland, Rose helped the Bulls swipe home-court advantage from the Cavaliers, who were missing starters Kevin Love and JR Smith.
Kyrie Irving scored 30 points and LeBron James added 19 points and 15 rebounds for Cleveland, playing its first game since Love was lost to a shoulder injury. Smith is suspended for two games.
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