It did not make much more sense as it was happening. In the third quarter, the Rockets stopped scoring and were terrible in the fourth, out of nowhere, for no reason that can be divined by looking at the line score, they absolutely raked the Clippers and ran away with the game. What does this score tell you? Well, both teams played about even through the first half. The Clippers' astonishing fourth quarter collapse made absolutely no goddamn intuitive sense, even as it was happening. I mention this game as a point of comparison because what happened in Los Angeles on Thursday night was different. Read More: DeMarre Carroll, Self-Made Man
You can see the Clippers get burnt early, establish a normal-ish rhythm in the middle quarters, and then turn it around in the fourth while the Grizzlies flattened out into playing not-to-lose. Even if that comeback was unexpected, it makes sense in retrospect.
