Rockets 97, Clippers 92
Kevin Martin scored 28 points and Luis Scola added 22 as the Houston Rockets won their fourth straight game, a 97-92 triumph over the host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.
Houston swept its three-game West Coast trip and improved to 9-3 in December.
Rookie Blake Griffin had 24 points and 18 rebounds for the Clippers, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Griffin collected his 16th consecutive double-double and 23rd of the season.
The Rockets (14-15) jumped to a 27-11 lead late in the first quarter, but the Clippers went on a 20-5 run to cut their deficit to 32-31. Houston rebuilt the lead to 56-43 at halftime and widened it to 65-47 early in the third quarter.
The Clippers (8-22) rallied again and closed to 77-76 on Griffin's three-point play. But Houston answered with an 11-2 run for a 10-point lead with 4:17 to play.
At 88-84, Scola hit a 16-footer with 1:06 remaining. Griffin's 3-pointer made it 90-87, but Kyle Lowry's layup made it a five-point game.
Martin made 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch and the Rockets survived a potential tying 3-pointer by Griffin.
Shane Battier scored 13 points with 10 rebounds for the Rockets. Eric Gordon scored 18 points for the Clippers.