Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan dominates vs. Dwight Howard
By Tom West
As the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets 122-106, DeAndre Jordan was dominant with 16 rebounds, two blocks and 23 points on a perfect 8-of-8 shooting, outshining Dwight Howard completely.
DeAndre Jordan hasn’t had quite as many 20-rebound performances as last season and he won’t be the NBA’s rebounding champion as Andre Drummond currently leads the way with 15 per game. That being said, Jordan has been just as domineering in the paint, controlling the boards and serving as the Los Angeles Clippers’ defensive anchor as they’re forced to go small without Blake Griffin.
On Wednesday night, Jordan had pretty much the best game that Doc Rivers could have asked for. In terms of dominating the paint and maintaining perfect efficiency, a stat line of 23 points on 8-of-8 shooting/dunking, 16 rebounds, two blocks, and a respectable 7-of-13 mark from the free throw line was signature DeAndre Jordan at his high-flying best.
It was the perfect time for Jordan to take control and for the bench to rise up, too. Against the Houston Rockets, the team that ripped out the hearts of the Clippers and their fans with that comeback from a 3-1 series deficit in last year’s playoffs, a win means a little more. It shows how far both teams have come since last summer and a 122-106 win gave the Clippers a far more convincing victory than their 140-132 overtime win the last time they met this season.
Leading the way, next to Chris Paul‘s 15 points and 16 assists, was the authoritative Jordan.
Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reported that Jordan thanked his teammates’ shooting success for creating extra space for him in the paint or on rolls to the basket:
"Jordan credited [J.J.] Redick‘s hot start for his clear paths to the basket.“When J.J.’s shooting the ball like he was,” Jordan said, “that kind of opened the floor for us early and then we got rolls. We got pretty much what we wanted.”"
Whether Jordan simply rose above smaller lineups or shooters were cluttered near the perimeter, focused on the likes of Paul and Redick, he got easy opportunities to give the Clippers’ offense a rush of momentum. And as is normally the case, Redick got hot in a hurry as he made his first four three-point attempts and finished the game with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
As for the bench, they combined for 47 points on 17-of-29 shooting, while everyone but Paul Pierce recorded a positive +/-.
With those back to back alley-oops and several other finishes inside, there was nothing the Rockets could do to contain Jordan’s superior explosiveness inside. Against Dwight Howard, there was no contest. Even though many of Jordan’s scores came while Howard was off the floor, Houston’s center only managed to collect seven rebounds in his 33 minutes playing time and made just two field goals on four tries.
More from Clipperholics
- Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
- 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
- Trading for this player covers the Clippers’ biggest weakness
- How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
- Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver
Besides the health issues and back problems Howard has dealt with, his production has no doubt been impacted by the general poor performance and chemistry of the Rockets this season. He doesn’t fit with James Harden, it’s impossible to think that Howard is genuinely content with just 8.9 field goal attempts per game (by far the lowest average since his rookie season), and it’s still a little surprising that he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline.
He’s surely on his way out of Houston, and after a difficult night against Jordan, it looks less and less likely that 30-year-old Howard will receive the max contract he wants this summer. That being said, there aren’t many elite centers in the NBA right now, and there may be a team desperate enough for a star, albeit a fading one, to fork out the money.
As for Jordan, the Clippers made the right decision when they fought to bring him back from the grips of the Dallas Mavericks and sign him to a four-year, $88 million deal. It’s a heavy sum for a player who still struggles immensely from the free throw line and is only in the earliest stages of developing some kind of post game, but Jordan’s presence inside holds the Clippers’ defense together. And without him accounting for a third of their total rebounds per game, they’d be even more useless on the boards as well.
Next: Chris Paul is the Point God for so many reasons
Wednesday night was just one of many instances this season where Jordan proved his worth to the team. He’s stepped up with averages 14.1 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game since the Clippers lost Griffin, and there’s no way they would have a 26-11 record in this span without him.