Chris Paul made his return to Staples Center against the Clippers on Monday, and it was … an emotional return for both teams, and not in the “welcome back, we missed you” emotional sense. The game was testy from the opening tip, and escalated in the fourth quarter, when Mike D’Antoni was called for a technical while Trevor Ariza and Blake Griffin were ejected from the game. The conflict carried over from the court into the locker rooms, with some of the Rockets players storming the Clippers locker room to continue their conversations. The Rockets lost the game, 113-102, but that would be their only loss this week.
They beat the Timberwolves at home by 18 points, getting 30 points from Eric Gordon while James Harden returned to the starting lineup after missing seven games with a hamstring injury. Harden only had 15 points, missing 12 of his 15 shots, but it helped him shake off the rust before the Rockets game against the Warriors. Harden had a huge stepback 3-pointer with 1:10 left over Steph Curry on Saturday, and then blocked the two-time MVP after a timeout to help lead the Rockets to a series win in the regular season over Golden State with a 116-108 win. They were fortunate to catch the Warriors at the end of a five-game road trip, but a win is a win is a win.