Five takeaways from Clippers’ victory over Houston Rockets

Five takeaways from the Clippers’ 102-85 win over the Rockets on Friday in Houston:

1. The Clippers should always feed Blake Griffin the basketball.

When they got him the ball in the first quarter, Griffin went to work, either scoring or getting to the free-throw line.

Griffin had 12 points in the first quarter, scoring 10 consecutive points during one stretch.

He finished with 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting, and 10 rebounds.

2. DeAndre Jordan was a defensive force against the Rockets.

It was more than Jordan’s three blocked shots that he had against the Rockets. It was his presence that made the Rockets think before driving into the lane.

Jordan also had 13 rebounds, mostly cleaning up the boards after the Clippers clamped down on defense.

3. The Clippers shared the basketball very well.

That often meant open looks for one of them. They finished the game with 23 assists on 38 made baskets.

4. J.J. Redick was solid on offense against the Rockets.

Redick constantly moved without the basketball, being an offense all by himself. Redick had 15 points on six-for-13 shooting, three-for-nine on three-pointers.

5. The Clippers are a very good team when they play defense.

There was a period in the fourth quarter when the Clippers went six straight possessions without scoring. But during that time, they held the Rockets scoreless as well.

“The score never changed,” Clippers Coach Doc Rivers said. “That’s what I liked.”

The Clippers held the Rockets to 39% shooting for the game.

Follow Broderick on Twitter @BA_Turner