Matt Barnes believes Clippers took Dwight Howard “out of the game mentally”

"Rockets Dwight Howard makes a hard foul on Clippers Blake Griffin during second half action at Staples Center Sunday, May 10, 2015. Clippers defeated the Rockets 128-95 to go up 3-1 in the series.  ( Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News ) "

“Rockets Dwight Howard makes a hard foul on Clippers Blake Griffin during second half action at Staples Center Sunday, May 10, 2015. Clippers defeated the Rockets 128-95 to go up 3-1 in the series. ( Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News ) “

The lack of touches bothered Dwight Howard. The physical play irked him, too. The frustration over an eventual double-digit playoff loss escalated enough to show something far from what his team expected from him as the NBA’s most athletic and dominant center.

He failed to produce on either end of the floor. He committed silly fouls. He then walked through the entrance tunnel in shame before the loss became official.

The Lakers, Kobe Bryant and their passionate fanbase remember these images well, Howard’s last game in a purple and gold uniform two years ago ending with an ejection well before the San Antonio Spurs swept the Lakers in a forgettable first-round series. Yet, nearly the same scene played out again for Howard wearing a Houston Rockets uniform as they suffered a 128-95 Game 4 loss of their Western Conference semifinals series to the Clippers on Sunday at Staples Center.

The Rockets pledged they would feature Howard more on offense in Game 4 after he only had three second-half field-goal attempts in a Game 3 loss. Instead, Howard recorded nearly as many fouls (six) as points (seven) and rebounds (six) as the Clippers took a 3-1 lead with a chance to close out the series in Houston on Tuesday and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.

“We were able to take him out of the game mentally,” Clippers forward Matt Barnes boasted afterwards. “They need him on the floor to be able to win.”

But Howard was on the floor for only 18 minutes. He left the game with 9:52 remaining after fouling Blake Griffin and picking up his second technical while throwing the ball at an official.

“Just get ready for the next game,” Howard said tersely regarding his ejection.

The Rockets center became even quieter when pressed about his takedown on Griffin with 3:07 left in the third quarter. Then, Griffin tried wrapping his left arm around part of Howard’s right shoulder to elevate himself for a devastating dunk. Instead, Howard pushed Griffin to the ground on a play that somehow was just ruled a common foul.

“It’s frustrating,” Howard said generally about his foul trouble. “You get emotional by playing in the playoffs. I want to win so bad that it’s frustrating at times. But I’ve just got to try my best to keep my cool.”

Griffin somehow did, his only reaction involving expressing choice words to Howard from the other side of the court.

“My entire career, everybody says I need to punch somebody. But I never had,” Griffin said. “The playoffs isn’t different. I’m definitely not going to do something like that. Hard fouls are a part of a playoff basketball, and I think that’s how basketball should be. I don’t take those fouls personally. My job is to go hit some free throws. We have to keep in mind what the bigger picture is, and that’s ultimately winning.”

And to win, the Clippers believed they needed to disrupt Howard as he soon became fixated over his foul trouble, ineffective play, physical pounding and lacking supporting cast.

Barnes became the main catalyst in that effort, his well established reputation as an NBA enforcer centering on distracting Howard.

First, Barnes tusseled with Howard before committing a loose ball foul with 9:21 left in the first quarter. After fouling Clippers guard Chris Paul for his second foul with 8:20 left in the first quarter, Howard picked up his first technical foul by grabbing onto an officials’ arm. Barnes also walked up to Howard, who was a friend when they played together one season five years ago in Orlando, dropped a lace of expletives. Barnes shouted more words to Howard unsuitable for print after the two tangled in the fourth quarter.

“Just keep hitting him, keep banging him. Make him earn everything he gets under the basket,” Barnes said about his approach on Howard. “It’s just physical playoff basketball. He got me with a good shot earlier. I got him with a good shot later.”

While the Clippers became amused by Howard’s unraveling, the Rockets defended it.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale bemoaned how officials looked the other way, saying that “Barnes just two-hand hammers him, and Dwight turns around and pushes him and they call a foul on Dwight.” McHale criticized the Rockets’ defensive effort that left Howard feeling isolated. McHale explained that Houston only intentionally fouled DeAndre Jordan to shoot 34 foul shots because of Howard’s early foul trouble. McHale disagreed with a reporter’s assertion that Howard did not seem engaged in the game at all.

“We’ve got to rely on him to carry some of that weight for us when we drive,” McHale said of Howard. “Or when we get to him, collapse and he can kick it out. But we have not been able to collapse their defense the whole series.”

Meanwhile, the Clippers figured out how to make Howard collapse, relentlessly poking a giant to make him feel small.

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Houston, you got a problem: Clippers take 3-1 series lead with 128-95 win

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