Chris Paul/Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers, NBA.com

The Clippers would love to close out their Western Conference semifinals series Tuesday when they play the Rockets in Game 5 at Toyota Center in Houston. The Clippers lead 3-1 and a victory would advance the Clippers to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history.

Also, a victory would allow Paul and the rest of the team to get some rest before the conference finals begin.

“No question, no question,” said Paul, who played in Games 3 and 4 after missing the first two games with a strained left hamstring. “We’re thinking about it, too, as a close-out game. We’ve got to go there, be hungry. And, you know, in that situation we can’t give teams confidence.

“You can’t give them life. We know they’re going to come out ready to play Game 5, and we’ve got to stay the hungrier team.”