by Catherine Taylor
Staff Writer
With the Houston Rockets in a race for home-court advantage in the playoffs, Tuesday night's 123-119 win over the Los Angeles Clippers was as much needed as it was hard-fought.
The Clippers jumped out to an 8-4 lead in the first quarter, but it was the only lead the Clippers would see. Loy Vaught scored four of the Clippers' first eight, but the offensive fire was soon put out. The Rockets went on an 11-0 run, fueled by two three-pointers from Matt Maloney, to take a 15-8 lead.
Charles Barkley and Maloney combined for 26 of Houston's 39 first-quarter points, and Maloney was four of four from downtown going into the second quarter.
"I go out every night trying to be as aggressive as I can," Maloney said. "I play off the superstars, which is what you have to do on this team."
The Rockets continued firing them in from outside, including two from Matt Bullard to start off the second quarter. Eddie Johnson proved once again what a great asset he is to the club, scoring 15 points in the first half, including three from three-point range. By halftime, Houston had a commanding 71-56 lead over the Clippers.
The second half opened with one more three pointer by Mario Elie, and the Rockets took off from there. Houston outscored the Clippers 25-23 in the third, and, leading 96-70 going into the fourth, there seemed to be no stopping them.
However, the Clippers came out swinging in the fourth, and the Rockets watched their lead diminish to almost nothing. The Clippers went on an 11-0 run, and after Lamond Murray sunk two in a row for Los Angeles, the Clippers were within five.
"We had a commanding lead at the end of the third, but in the fourth we got lazy," Rockets guard Clyde Drexler said. "We were trying to finish the game and they were trying to make a point."
The Clippers would get as close as three at 109-106, but Maloney put the cap on the game for Houston with a clutch three pointer to give the Rockets a six-point lead. The Clippers continued to nip at the heels of the Rockets with Vaught and Rodney Rogers leading the way, but in the end Houston held on to win 123-119.
"This was a gigantic win for us," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "They are a very talented team, and they made a good comeback.
"It's a dangerous situation when the pressure is off them, and the pressure is completely on us to win."
The Rockets were 15 of 30 from three-point range, which was the decisive factor of the game. They are hoping to maintain aggressive shooting going into the final two games of the regular season.
"We're playing real hard, and we're playing with a tremendous amount of confidence right now," Barkley said. "We just have to finish strong in the last two."