HOUSTON, May 5 (The Sports Xchange) - Blake Griffin recorded a triple-double and received plenty of support in the absence of Chris Paul as the Los Angeles Clippers claimed a 117-101 road victory over the Houston Rockets in Game One of their Western Conference semi-final on Monday.
With Clippers point guard Paul sidelined by a strained left hamstring, the Clippers rode balanced scoring and the Rockets' benevolence to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Griffin, the Clippers' star power forward, finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. Guard Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench and forward Matt Barnes added 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.