Clippers Fade Late In Loss To Rockets, 96-83

Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Kyle Lowry scored 20 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds as the Houston Rockets used a late fourth quarter surge to top the LA Clippers, 96-83, at Toyota Center. Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola both added 16 points for the Rockets, who have won two straight. Shane Battier contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the victors.

Randy Foye scored 20 points and Blake Griffin improved on his impressive rookie campaign with a 14-point, 11-rebound effort for the Clippers, who have dropped three of four. Baron Davis contributed 14 points in the loss. The Clippers took a 73-70 lead into the fourth quarter, however, the Rockets began the final stanza on a 16-2 run, capped by Brooks' driving reverse layup with 3:33 remaining to put the game away for good.

Rookie Patrick Patterson scored all of his six points in the spurt as the Rockets' lead reached 11 at 86-75. Griffin ended the run with a turnaround bank shot, but Lowry's reverse layup and long three-pointer a little over 2 1/2 minutes later expanded the Houston lead to a game-high 16 at 96-80, with 45.4 ticks remaining. Foye's layup and three-point conversion with 39.9 seconds remaining accounted for the final margin.

Scola paced the Rockets with 10 points in the first quarter and Houston held a 27-22 lead after one. The Clippers trimmed their deficit to 55-52 at the half after a back-and-forth second quarter. The Rockets came out flat in the third quarter, shooting 4-of-19 from the field. The Clippers scored 12 of their 21 third quarter points in the paint as they took a slim 73-70 lead into the final stanza.

Game Notes

Foye's 20 points were a season-high...The Rockets had a 50-44 rebounding advantage...Houston shot 85 percent from the line, while the Clippers shot 72.7 percent...DeAndre Jordan grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with eight points for LA.

For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Clips Nation.

Clippers, Now Without Eric Gordon, Head To Houston To Face Rockets

(Sports Network) - The Houston Rockets will take on the Los Angeles Clippers tonight at the Toyota Center, aiming for a second straight win in the series. The Rockets upended the Clippers, 97-92, back on Dec. 22 this season at Staples Center, as Kevin Martin and Luis Scola finished with 28 and 22 points, respectively, to lead the way. Houston has won four of five and 23 of the past 28 meetings between the two teams.

Los Angeles is 3-11 in the last 14 trips to Space City. Houston has won four of six games overall and is coming off Monday's 129-125 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Martin led all scorers with 34 points and Scola finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, who won their 13th straight game over Minnesota.

"Didn't like the way we finished, obviously," Rockets head coach Rick Adelman said. "They made a lot of jumpers early in the shot clock to come back and cut into the lead." Shane Battier scored 19 points and Aaron Brooks posted 15 off the bench in a winning effort. Houston is 12-10 at home this season.

Meanwhile, the Clippers will wrap up a short two-game trek tonight and has lost three in a row away from Hollywood. They are 3-14 as the guest in 2010-11 and suffered a 112-105 loss in Dallas on Tuesday, as Blake Griffin recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds in a losing effort. Baron Davis finished with 21 points and six assists, while Randy Foye added 15 points for LA, which played without guard Eric Gordon. Gordon is expected to miss the next three to four weeks with a sprained right wrist and a small bone chip fracture.

"I thought we got very stagnant offensively, which affected our defense, and then it kind of had a snowball effect from there," said Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro. "I didn't like our defense overall." The Clippers lost for the third time in 10 tries.

For more information on tonight's game, be sure to read Clips Nation.