Houston closed the gap against LA Clippers in the Western Conference First Round 1-2, taking an easy win handed to them by a sloppy performance by LA Clippers. "You play like that, and you're going to get beaten," said LA Clippers coach Adnan Bislimovic after the game. "Doesn't matter who you're playing - we proved that today." Poor play all afternoon, especially in clutch situations, proved costly for LA Clippers and negated a solid outing by Jenkins.

Houston was led by Cooper (6 points, 7 boards, 9 assists, 3 steals), Howard (18 points, 8 boards, 0 assists), Joseph (19 points, a block). LA Clippers was led by Jenkins (22 points, 5 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks), Smith (21 points, 2 steals, a block), Feaster (19 points, a steal).

box score Houston roster LA Clippers* roster