Austin Rivers/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

– First and foremost, I wonder how many haters out there still think Doc Rivers should not have brought his son Austin to the team in mid-January. Every time this 22-year-old has had a not-so-good showing, the Rivers duo has been ripped on Twitter. I’d like to see those same haters give credit where credit is due and tweet something positive. The younger Rivers had 25 points and shot 10 of 13 in this one. He was personally responsible for turning a close game into a rout. This is his third huge performance in 10 postseason games.

– The Clippers did a good job of holding James Harden to just five attempts from the free-throw line. That means they are playing good defense without fouling.
Harden was 15 of 15 from the free-throw line in Houston’s Game 2 victory.

– Chris Paul did just fine in his first game of this series after missing the first two with a strained left hamstring. Though he hid it well, one could tell he is not 100 percent just yet. But he said Saturday at practice that he’s fine and ready to roll in Game 4 Sunday. He had 12 points and seven assists Friday in 23-plus restricted minutes.

– The forgotten man, Spencer Hawes, was called on in this game after Blake Griffin took two early fouls. Hawes, who now has played in only four of the 10 postseason games, hit his first and only shot attempt – an 18-footer. He also had three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 11-plus energetic minutes. “He played great,” Doc Rivers said. The Clippers may need to see more of Hawes, who, when he’s playing well can make a difference.

– With all the hoopla about Austin Rivers, let’s not forget how spectacular J.J. Redick was. Not only did he do a nice job of helping guard Harden, he scored a game-high 31 points. He made 11 of 14 from the field, 5 of 6 from 3-point range.