HOUSTON – — Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets built a huge lead early and rolled to a 107-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night.
Houston led by as many as 26 points in the first half and was up by 12 after three quarters. The Rockets opened the fourth with an 8-2 run to make it 91-73. Marcus Thornton highlighted that spurt when he drove into the lane, evaded Blake Griffin and finished with a layup.
Houston pushed the lead to 95-76 with about 7 1/2 minutes left when Howard blocked a shot by Austin Rivers, and Trevor Ariza grabbed the ball and dished it to Howard, who finished with a dunk on the other end.