NBA Playoffs
Western Conference - Semifinals
Tip-off: Friday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Los Angeles -4.0, Total: 217.0

The Rockets look to steal a win in Los Angeles when they face the Clippers in Game 3 Friday.

The Clippers played extremely well in the first two games of this series and will now look to carry their momentum into the Staples Center. The difference in Game 2 really came down to the rebounding battle, as Houston outrebounded Los Angeles 73-49. That huge difference gave the Clippers a very small margin for error and they must be better on the glass on Friday. Over the past three seasons, the Clippers are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS when hosting the Rockets. Four of those five games happened to go Under the total. The Rockets are 25-10 ATS after a game where they failed to cover the spread this season and 12-4 ATS after playing four consecutive games as a favorite as well. The Clippers, meanwhile, are 26-14 ATS after two straight games with 10 or less offensive rebounds on the year. The Rockets are without SG K.J. McDaniels (Elbow), PF Donatas Motiejunas (Back) and PG Patrick Beverley (Wrist) for the season. PG Chris Paul (Hamstring) is questionable for Los Angeles, but the expectation is that he will play after sitting both games in Houston.

The Rockets were on the verge of going down 2-0 and then SG James Harden (27.7 PPG, 8.3 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.6 SPG in playoffs) took his game to another level. The superstar had 32 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one steal and a block in 35 minutes of action in Game 2. He was 7-for-17 from the field and a perfect 15-for-15 from the charity stripe. He’ll need to bring the same intensity from the opening tip on Friday. C Dwight Howard (18.4 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 3.4 BPG in playoffs) was also great in Game 2. Howard had 24 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in 35 minutes of action. He was 8-for-11 from the field, but he was a major liability when the Clippers went to the “Hack-A-Shaq”. Howard finished the game 8-for-21 from the free-throw line and must find a way to knock down more shots from there moving forward. If he doesn’t then he may need to come off the court, which limits what the Rockets can do defensively. SF Trevor Ariza (10.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.3 SPG in playoffs) has really struggled with his shot in the postseason. He is shooting just 34.3% from the field and 24.2% from the outside, but he has been playing excellent defense and is doing his part on the glass. If he can get his shot to fall then the Rockets will like their chances of stealing back a win in Los Angeles.

The Clippers were able to earn a huge victory in Game 1, and they did it without PG Chris Paul (22.7 PPG, 7.9 APG, 4.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG in playoffs). Paul is questionable for Game 3 and would be a huge boost if he can give it a go. He likely won’t be 100% as he deals with this hamstring injury, but the Rockets are weak at the point guard position and would struggle to come up with an answer for Los Angeles’ superstar. With Paul out, PF Blake Griffin (25.4 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 7.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.2 BPG in playoffs) has emerged as the story of the postseason. Griffin has been the most dominant player in the playoffs this year and is coming off of a game where he scored 34 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds in 41 minutes. He has been doing everything on the floor and must continue to hold it down in the paint for Los Angeles. C DeAndre Jordan (12.7 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 2.7 BPG in playoffs) was impressive in Game 3, finishing with 16 points,12 rebounds and two blocks on 6-for-6 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line. If he is knocking down his shots from the charity stripe then the Rockets will not be able to hack him too often.