The Los Angeles Clippers hope the third time is the charm trying to clinch their first trip to the conference finals but they will have to do so on the road, facing the Houston Rockets in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series at the Toyota Center in Houston.
Clippers vs. Rockets 2015: Time, TV schedule and live stream for NBA playoffs
The Clippers held a 19-point lead in the third quarter at home in Game 6 on Thursday night at Staples Center in Los Angeles, with a trip to face the Golden State Warriors well within their grasp. But the Rockets, who were once down 3-1 in the series, outscored the Clippers 49-18 over the final 14:30 of Game 6, winning 119-107 to stay alive.
Now back home, the Rockets find themselves in the driver’s seat at home in Game 7.
“It’s Game 7. It’s fun man,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale told the Associated Press on Saturday. “That’s what you live for ... there’s a joy and a calm that comes over you when you do something really, really well and you’re doing something you’ve done since you’ve been a little kid.”
The team that has won the rebound battle has won every game of the series, with Houston averaging 49.5 rebounds to the Clippers’ 43.8 boards per game. The Rockets outrebounded the Clippers 59-40 on average in wins in Games 5 and 6.
Houston was 30-11 at the Toyota Center during the regular season, and is 5-1 during the playoffs. The lone loss was to the Clippers in Game 1 of this series.
Blake Griffin is averaging 25.4 points, 12.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game this postseason, and has three triple-doubles. In the Clippers' Game 7 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Griffin had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
He scored 28 points in Game 6, but was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
“Yesterday we were watching film and we were disappointed,” Griffin told Arash Markazi of ESPN on Saturday. “Guys were frustrated but we realize what we have in front of us and it’s no time to keep hanging your head. Tomorrow you have to be ready to go.”
The winner on Sunday will advance to face Golden State in the Western Conference finals, with Game 1 at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Tuesday night.
Game 7 will be televised by ABC, with Mike Breen on play-by-play, joined by analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, and reporter Lisa Salters.
How to watch
Location: Toyota Center, Houston
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Online: ESPN3, WatchESPN
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