Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 124-99 win over Rockets in Game 3

Five things to take away from the Clippers’ 124-99 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series.

1) Austin Rivers thought back to his days in New Orleans, when he was the 10th overall pick in 2012 and his career was floundering.

Fast forward to Friday night in Game 3 of the Western Conference second-round playoff series, the night Rivers was one of the best players on the Staples Center court.

He had a career night, his 25 points the most he has scored in a playoff game. Of course, Rivers has only played in 10 playoff games over his three-year career, all of them this season with the Clippers.

Rivers missed only three of his 13 shots and he had six rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot to boot.

The Clippers acquired Rivers from the Boston Celtics, the team for which he never played a game after the New Orleans Pelicans sent him there.

“All the stuff I went through in New Orleans made me better,” Rivers said late Friday night in the hallway of Staples Center. “Even those coaches there, they made me better. Coach (Monty) Williams made me better, made me a strong person, made me a leader.”

2) J.J. Redick came off the screens set for him by the Clippers’ big men really hard and he was decisive in taking his shots quickly.

Without hesitation, Redick knocked down shot after shot, his 11-for-14 shooting leading him to a playoff career-best 31 points.

He defense was solid on James Harden as well, limiting the Rockets guard to 21 points.

3) All anyone knew after Game 3 was that Chris Paul didn’t re-injure the left hamstring that kept him out of Games 1 and 2 of this series. When asked how he felt after the game, Paul only said, “I got through.”

Four times in all.

Paul played 23 minutes 8 seconds. He had 12 points and seven assists.

4) The Clippers had complained about the Rockets shooting 64 free throws in Game 2.

In Game 3, Harden, who went 15 of 15 from the free-throw line in Game 2, shot only five free throws, making all of them.

5) The Clippers were destroyed on the backboards in Game 2, getting out-rebounded 54-40. They gave up 15 offensive rebounds to the Rockets.

In Game 3, the Clippers out-rebounded the Rockets, 50-43. DeAndre Jordan had 15 rebounds and Blake Griffin 14.

Follow Broderick Turner on Twitter: @BA_Turner

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