The Houston Rockets were built on the fly.
The Los Angeles Clippers were built for the playoffs.
In a performance that could be a sign of postseason things to come, the Clippers laid waste to the Rockets’ small-ball system in a dominant 120-105 victory on Houston’s home court on Thursday. The final score didn’t reflect the reality of the game for Houston, which cut into a 30-point deficit largely in garbage time.
Leaning on their elite perimeter defense and size advantage on offense, the Clippers put a screeching halt to a strategy that’s seen surprising success since the Rockets eliminated players taller than 6-foot-8 from their lineup 14 games ago.