HOUSTON — The security guys were busy clearing the path to the court for the late-comer -- not that he was snubbing the often over-the-top pregame introductions -- but he was adjusting his uniform and hoping his stomach would do the same.
Baron Davis was not looking like the "rowdy little fella," which is how teammate Al Thornton described him. Instead, he looked like a sick little fella.
Which he was.
Davis was suffering from food poisoning, forcing him to sit out the second quarter. Nevertheless, he re-emerged for the second half in what turned out to be the Clippers' 15th loss. Houston settled in at the free-throw line and pretty much double-parked there, going 31 for 39, both season highs, as the Rockets defeated the Clippers, 103-96, Wednesday at Toyota Center.
It was Houston's seventh straight victory against the Clippers. The Clippers trailed by one point after three quarters before Houston pulled away with an 8-2 run to start the fourth.
No one was better from the free-throw line than 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming, who made 12 of 13 free throws en route to a 24-point, 10-rebound performance for the Rockets.
Perhaps a quirky 7-footer might have helped better deal with the Yao Factor. Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy's thoughts drifted to that certain individual, Chris Kaman, who is not on this trip because of a strained left arch
"We've got a guy nine inches smaller than he is, trying to guard him," Dunleavy said. "It's not a normal thing we probably would do. If it was a Kaman and [Zach] Randolph matchup, then Yao's got to guard somebody in the post and get susceptible to fouls and we can attack him better than we were able to attack him at times tonight."
Kaman, of course, would have had his hands full.
"It still is a tough task," said Thornton, who had 24 points. "The guys tonight did a good job. It would have been a tough task. He [Yao] needs so much attention to him."
Thornton had an idea of what Kaman was doing in his idle time.
"He's probably hunting," Thornton said, looking amused.
And no, Thornton won't be joining Kaman in the deep woods. He did talk about how the Clippers would look when Kaman returned from his injury-induced layoff, now that Randolph (23 points, 11 rebounds) was settling in nicely.
"I'm curious to see how it works when the big fella gets back," Thornton said. "It's going to be a treat to see."
