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Three games in, the Rockets were flying high. James Harden was playing well, Dwight Howard was gobbling up every rebound in sight, and the Rockets sat on top of the division with a 3-0 record. Tonight, that all came crashing down as Chris Paul and the talented Los Angeles Clippers beat them down 137-118.
The warning signs came early, as J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley were unconscious in the first quarter, drilling jumpers all over the place, and James Harden's shot was off from the start. Then came the fouls. Dwight Howard didn't have the discipline to stay on the court in the first half, and in a game where the refs called it very closely, he picked up three fouls in his first six and a half minutes on the floor.
By the end of the first half, the Clippers had scored a staggering 78 points, and the Rockets showed no signs of slowing them down. J.J. Redick continued to get wide open, and Chris Paul just asserted his dominance over the game of basketball, making Jeremy Lin look silly time and time again.
In the second half, the Rockets had a semblance of life, but were never able to get over the hump. Whenever they pulled within single digits, Chris Paul would take the ball and do unimaginable things with it.
When all was said and done, the Rockets had given up an embarrassing 137 points to the Clippers, and the Rockets fell to 3-1 on the season. Let's hope James Harden decides to join the team on the road trip before tomorrow night's contest against the Blazers.
We'll have a full recap for you later tonight.