Blake Griffin: Dwight Howard Got Away With "Textbook" Goal-tend

James Harden scored 46 points to help lift the Rockets over the Clippers. Houston, who dropped their first three games by a combined 60 points, have won four in a row. Granting that it’s extremely early in the season, this road victory in Los Angeles is the surest sign thus far that they’ve righted the course and have at least for now averted the curse of the Kardashians.

Nevertheless, the win was not without controversy. In the final minute, Dwight Howard appeared to interfere with this Blake Griffin tip-in attempt while the ball was still in the cylinder:

“I thought it was very, very clear,” Griffin said later, via SI’s Ben Golliver. “I actually watched it already. I couldn’t wait until I got home. I watched it. Terrible times. That’s textbook goaltending.”

This is the type of thing that would go virtually unnoticed if it happened at nearly any other point in the game. However, that it was this close to the end will leave a poor taste in the Clippers’ mouths. Unfortunately, the two teams don’t meet again until December 19th and any lingering resentment over this outcome will presumably have dissipated by then.