Rockets at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are staying in the middle of the playoff race in the Western Conference despite being without one of their best players. The Clippers will try to take another step forward in the standings when they host the Houston Rockets on Sunday, and they could have the services of All-Star forward Blake Griffin in the meeting. Griffin has been out since having surgery to remove a staph infection from his right elbow last month.
Los Angeles was crushed 129-99 at the Dallas Mavericks on Friday but the bright spot was back in California, where Griffin was undergoing a full workout in anticipation of a return Sunday or Tuesday. "He's working out great," Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters. "He's doing great. He had a hard workout (Friday) and went through it. I know he went very hard (Friday), and that's a good sign." The Rockets know what it’s like to be without an All-Star in the front court, and center Dwight Howard (knee) is still a week or two away from returning.
TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (43-22): Houston sits in the No. 4 spot in the West, one game behind Portland and 1 1/2 games clear of the fifth-place Clippers, but is slumping of late with losses in four of its last six games. The Rockets are closing out a four-game road trip on Sunday and are hoping for more from star James Harden, who failed to reach 20 points in either of the last two games while going 10-of-32 from the field, including 0-of-8 from 3-point range. Harden did not fare well against Los Angeles in two meetings last month, going 3-of-12 from the field in a road loss and improving to 4-of-13 in a home win over the Clippers on Feb. 25.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (42-24): Los Angeles has been enduring a brutal schedule of late, with losses in three of the last five games to potential playoff opponents Portland, Golden State and Dallas. The Clippers had been holding their own against the top teams in the league until Friday, when the Mavericks shot 60.7 percent from the field and never looked threatened. “They broke us down on the ball screen,” Chris Paul, who has recently been hobbled by a knee injury, told reporters. “That’s something the guards, especially me, have to do a better job of keeping the ball in front. They can’t just get in there and pick us apart.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Rockets’ 110-105 win on Feb. 25 snapped a six-game losing streak in the series.
2. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan is averaging 18 points and 17.3 rebounds in the last three games.
3. Los Angeles G Jamal Crawford (calf) is expected to miss his sixth straight game.