Rockets' home winning streak snapped

Houston, March 30 (IANS) Houston Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 107-118 at the Toyota Center here, ending their 11-game home winning streak in NBA.

The Rockets opened the game strongly Saturday, particularly in offence, even without Dwight Howard, who sat out with a strained ankle, and Pat Beverly, who had a torn meniscus in his knee. They enjoyed a lead of 15 points early in the second quarter and appeared to be winning, reports Xinhua.

But Chris Paul turned around the table. The Clippers ran off a 22-5 run to regain the lead with Paul scoring 17 of the Clippers’ 38 second-quarter points.

The Rockets were within three at halftime and fought back in the second half, having opportunities to turn over the game. But James Harden missed on a drive and a pair of 3-pointers, Chandler Parsons missed a 3-pointer and the Clippers easily pulled away.

Paul led the Clippers with 30 points and 12 assists and Jamal Crawford had 22 points. DeAndre Jordan added 20 points with 12 rebounds while Harden scored 32 points for the Rockets.

The defeat also snapped Houston’s five-game straight winning streak. The host team is 49-23 this season while the Clippers are 52-22.