Rookies lead Rockets to clinch playoff berth
Updated: 2008-04-07 16:06
LOS ANGELES - Rookie Aaron Brooks came off the bench to score 18 points, five teammates reached double figures, and the Houston Rockets beat the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers 105-79 Sunday night to clinch a playoff berth.
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The victory was the third straight for the Rockets (52-25), who rank fifth in the rugged Western Conference but trail the first-place New Orleans Hornets by only 2 1/2 games.
Rookie Luis Scola scored 16 points, Luther Head added 15, Tracy McGrady had 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Bobby Jackson had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Shane Battier scored 11 for the Rockets, who shot 48.1 percent and outrebounded the Clippers 51-33.
Josh Powell had a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers (23-54), who have lost 21 of their last 25 games. Elton Brand, playing just his third game of the season, had 19 points and eight rebounds and Cuttino Mobley added 11 points for the losers.
Houston's Rafer Alston, averaging 13.2 points and 5.4 assists, missed his third game due to a sore left hamstring. But the Rockets got exceptional play from Jackson and Brooks, his replacements at point guard.
The Clippers played without Chris Kaman (sprained right ankle) and Tim Thomas (sore Achilles' tendon). And Corey Maggette, averaging a team-leading 22.5 points, left midway through the first quarter with a strained right hamstring and didn't return after scoring only three points.
Head scored five points during a 7-0 run that gave the Rockets a 93-73 lead with 7:07 to play. The Clippers didn't threaten after that.
Powell scored 10 points and Brand added seven in the third quarter, helping Los Angeles outscore Houston 25-18 to move within 13 points. The Clippers shot 12-of-19 and the Rockets just 6-of-20 in the period.
With McGrady on the bench, Shane Battier and Brooks scored seven points each during a 19-4 run that gave Houston 56-36 lead. The Rockets led 62-42 at halftime thanks to a 53.8 percent shooting performance and a 26-15 rebounding advantage. The Clippers weren't closer than 13 points in the second half.
Scola, averaging 9.4 points per game, and Jackson, averaging 7.3, scored 10 each in the first quarter as the Rockets took a 30-22 lead. Powell, averaging 5.4, had 10 for the Clippers.
Brand, playing his first home game of the season, received a loud ovation when introduced beforehand with the other Los Angeles starters. He missed 74 games while recovering from surgery on his torn left Achilles' tendon after being injured Aug. 3 during an offseason workout.
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