Chris Paul made his return to the court Friday night. He looked limpish but still solid as always, inspiring everyone with his presence. The game three at Staples Center went back-and-forth to begin, with Paul handing out five assists in a high-scoring start.

Los Angeles pulled away for a first quarter lead. We scored 33 points in Paul’s return. He went the first six minutes, sat, then finished the frame. Our bench was key all night in his rest. They looked more comfortable after asserting some of a role the first two games. Spencer Hawes played smoothly in his first action of the series.

We kept a seven point halftime lead despite surrendering to Hack-A-Shaq. It’s now too played out for me, even though Dwight Howard has a horrendous stroke. I can’t take it anymore, Doc. It’s still lame, no matter who’s doing it. We actually led by double-digits until we slowed the final few minutes to a screeching halt.

Fortunately, their were no second half worries this time around. In a similar circumstance, we didn’t look nervous in the pressure packed third quarter, maintaining a medium lead. Then, Austin Rivers caught fire. Some assertive big threes built us up from 81-76 to a ten point lead with maybe two and a half to go. Then, the kid just went into full attack mode. With Houston hoisting 3 after 3, we went out running, and Rivers got fouled hard twice and still finished.

It was epic. He essentially put the Rockets away alone, lifting Los Angeles to a twenty point lead after three and firing everyone up. The surreal energy carried over to the fourth, where J.J. Reddick helped seal the deal. He had a team high 31, missing only a handful of shots like Rivers. Jason Terry got himself ejected for acting a fool on Blake Griffin (there was a flagrant when they practically choked Matt Barnes in the 1st, too).

The bench was able to guide us through the final six minutes, meaning everyone including someone I saw at Michigan in 2007 Ekpe Udoh, an unsung bench snarf for LA. Their effort allowed Paul to rest, playing just 23 minutes in a successful return.