Redick’s career-high 40 help Clippers beat Rockets in OT

Bryant was in distributor mode from the start, gathering seven assists in the first 10 minutes as the Lakers actually led, 31-28.

In case anybody wondered, Howard started slowly this season and recently improved, putting up his ninth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds Sunday.

Guard Lou Williams scored 20 points to lead the Lakers, who dropped their third in a row and their seventh in eight games. Harden joins Stephen Curry as the only players averaging at least 27.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds this season while Howard and Andre Drummond are the only players averaging at least 14.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. Clarkson is averaging 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during January games while occasionally showing a burst of energy that brings the crowd to its feet.

“Houston (22-20) began Sunday as one of the NBA”™s biggest underachievers, fresh off an unimpressive 77-point output Friday against Cleveland.

“You have to keep the defense honest”, he said. “So you’ve got to be able to be feared as a passer”.

“It means a lot”. “I looked up into the rafters” Bryant said, “seen the retired jerseys of Divac, Webber, Peja Stojakovic, I asked myself, what the hell am I still doing here?”.

He has 103 at the midway point of this season. The Clippers were 15 of 60 from behind the arc in two previous meetings with the Rockets this season….

Forward Larry Nance, Jr. injured his right knee during the Lakers loss in Utah on Saturday night and head coach Byron Scott said he would be doubtful to play in the game Sunday vs Houston.

“We had to lock them in on the defensive end”, said Harden, who also had five assists. “We know that the Lakers’ big guys are coming to block shots”.

J.J. Redick hit a career-high 9 three-pointers, tying the franchise record, and surpassed Corey Maggette (367) for fourth on the all-time Clippers list for three-pointers made. James Harden, the league’s No. 2 scorer, had 20 points and Marcus Thornton had 23 points and five 3-pointers. That’s not how we should play, like a middle-of-a-pack team.

“After so many road games the first half of the season, excellent news arrived Sunday for the Lakers via a schedule break “” they play only one game outside of California between now and February 4. The Rockets are 13-7 when Howard has a double-double, including three wins over the Lakers. Thursday is the 10th anniversary of Bryant’s 81-point game against Toronto, the second-highest total in National Basketball Association history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 against the New York Knicks.