Two days after beating the San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling Game 7, the Los Angeles Clippers will take on the Houston Rockets on the road in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The two teams, who split their games, 2-2, this season, will fight for control of the series on Monday. The Clippers could be without Chris Paul, who is listed as questionable.
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The Los Angeles Clippers, fresh off their thrilling seven-game series, take on the well-rested Houston Rockets in Game 1.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
The Rockets are well rested. They beat the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in their first round series, finishing off the Mavericks last Tuesday. James Harden and Dwight Howard hope to take Houston to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1997. Harden led the team all season, averaging 27.4 points per game, but he did struggle against the Clippers, averaging just 20 points in the four games against L.A. Matt Barnes of the Clippers will do his best to disrupt Harden. Howard, meanwhile, will have to take on the formidable front court duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
The Clippers beat the defending champions in the first round and are hoping to make their first trip to the West finals in franchise history. Chris Paul was superb in that series, especially playing through injury in Game 7. He’ll have his hands full against the long arms of Trevor Ariza. He’ll need to get healthy for the Clippers to have a chance against the Rockets.
Game 1 will be important for setting the tone. The Clippers need to be ready, the Rockets should come out of the gates strong against a team that used a ton of emotional and physical energy just to get to the second round.
Here’s how to watch Monday:
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Online: TNT Overtime
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