Austin Rivers propels Clippers past Rockets in Chris Paul's return

Austin Rivers scored a career playoff-high 25 points while sparking a decisive run to end the third quarter leading the Clippers to a 124-99 victory over the Rockets that gave them a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Chris Paul returned from a hamstring injury to bolster the Clippers with 12 points and seven assists after he missed the first two games of the series. J.J. Redick had a career playoff-best 31 points, Blake Griffin added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan had 15 rebounds.

James Harden had 25 points and 11 assists, and Dwight Howard added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets.