Los Angeles Clippers Rout Houston Rockets 128-95 in Game 4

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets, 128-95, in Game 4 of their second-round NBA playoff series on /4/10 behind center DeAndre Jordan’s 26 points and 17 rebounds. He shot an NBA playoff record 28 free throws in the first half.

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets, 128-95, in Game 4 of their second-round Western Conference NBA playoff series on /4/10. 

The Clippers overcame the Rockets’ strategy of fouling center DeAndre Jordan, a career 42 percent free-throw shooter. As a result, Los Angeles shot 44 free-throw attempts in the first half. Jordan finished with 27 points and 16 rebounds, per Rovan Kavner of the Clippers’ official website. 

Final: Clippers 128, Rockets 95.
Next game: /4/12th, at 6:30pm PT
Recap → http://t.co/9s66cOPdrV pic.twitter.com/XGWglsE1WX— Los Angeles Clippers (@LAClippers) /4/11, 2015

Jordan also established a new NBA playoff record with 28 free-throw attempts in the first half alone, per Kavner. 

“I thought all of us got kind of freaked out by it early, and after that we were fine,” Clippers head coach Doc Rivers told Kavner when asked about his thoughts on the Hack-A-Jordan strategy.

On the other hand, Clippers point guard Chris Paul told Kavner it’s all part of the game.

“It’s part of the game,” he said. “People talking about should they ban it, no, it’s part of the game. You’re just thinking about, ‘We’ve got to defend.’ That’s one of the biggest things.”

The Los Angeles Times’ Melissa Rohlin reported on Sunday that Jordan actually outshot the entire Rockets team from the free-throw line, 34-30. Jordan shot 6-of-7 from the field, which tranlsates to a 14-of-34 from the charity stripe. 

Jordan, Clippers Persevere Through Record Hacking
More → http://t.co/FEyMW5nnA4 pic.twitter.com/jdkE4UX5tx— Los Angeles Clippers (@LAClippers) /4/11, 2015

The Rockets were actually in control of the game when they led by eight points in the first period, per Rohlin. 

However, the Clippers went on a 13-5 run to lead by six at the break. Los Angeles continued its surge in the third quarter, scoring 43 points and outscoring Houston by 18 points to break the game wide open, per Kavner. 

The Clippers’ 29-7 run during the third quarter stretched their lead to 89-61, per their official website. During that span, Jordan had three dunks while the Rockets stopped fouling him to send him to the free-throw line, per Kavner. 

The Clippers’ official website says the 24-point lead after three quarters allowed Rivers to rest his starters for the fourth period. 

Rohlin notes the Clippers led by as many as 37 points in the fourth quarter. 

The lob. The jam. pic.twitter.com/IZ9fWeYo9e— Los Angeles Clippers (@LAClippers) /4/11, 2015

Clippers forward Blake Griffin told Kavner he liked the way how they maintained their composure in spite of Houston’s repeated attempts to put Jordan at the free-throw line:

“It’s a good win. In the first half, we didn’t play that well. We were sloppy on defense. We scored 60 points and were only up by six at halftime. The best part of today is how we responded after the half.

“For us to maintain our composure, he (Jordan) hit shots, he hit free throws, we got stops, we just grinded it out.”

J.J. Redick chipped in with 18 points while Paul scored 15 points and recorded 12 assists for the Clippers. Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers led a balanced attack off the bench with 13 poitns and 12 points, respectively, per The Los Angeles Times. 

DeAndre Jordan’s 28 first half free throw attempts sets playoff records for most FTA in a half. He’s made 10 of them. pic.twitter.com/pX50MvdJ6F— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) /4/11, 2015

Rockets guard James Harden led his team with 21 points while forward Trevor Ariza had 18 points. Rohlin says Houston center Dwight Howard was a missing link as he scored just seven points and grabbed six rebounds. 

He fouled out of the game and was ejected for tossing the ball at an official with 9:52 left in the game, per The Los Angeles Times. 

For the game, the Clippers shot 49.4 percent while the Rockets shot just 41 percent. Los Angeles also outrebounded Houston, 51-47. The Rockets were also plagued with turnover issues as they had 21 while their opponents just had 11, per Rohlin.

The Clippers now lead the series, 3-1.

They will attempt to move on to the Western Conference Finals with a win at the Toyota Center in Houston in Game 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET on /4/12. 

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