HOUSTON -- With seemingly every other postgame query someone asked Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin to take the lion's share of the credit and, as he did earlier during the game, Griffin instead opted to share.

Griffin registered a triple-double and received ample support in the absence of All-Star guard Chris Paul, and the Los Angeles Clippers claimed a 117-101 victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of this Western Conference semifinal series on Monday night at Toyota Center.

With Paul sidelined by a strained left hamstring, the Clippers rode the singular brilliance of Griffin and a balanced attack to a 1-0 series lead.

Griffin finished with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. He filled the facilitating void with Paul serving in a coaching capacity on the bench, and Griffin also delivered his usual scoring and rebounding production. While there were contributors up and down the roster, the Clippers' mental resilience and offensive explosion derived from one linchpin.

"Without Chris, everybody has to step up," Griffin said. "It's not one person's job, it's all of our jobs. If you look at the stat sheet and the way that we played tonight, it was everybody. Everybody stepped up and did their role and that's how you fill that void of C.P. not being out there."

Clippers guard Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench while forward Matt Barnes added 20 points (on 8-of-11 shooting) and four steals. The Paul-less starting backcourt of J.J. Redick and Austin Rivers combined for 34 points, with 7-for-13 shooting from behind the arc.

While the Rockets committed 24 turnovers resulting in 34 points for the Clippers, their defense was equally abhorrent. The Clippers scored 71 points on 22-for-39 shooting in the second half, including 11 of 16 on 3s.

Rockets center Dwight Howard posted 22 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks but was largely alone in his efficiency. Guard James Harden tallied 20 points and 12 assists but also had a game-high nine turnovers.

Houston forward Trevor Ariza scored 11 of his 17 points by the 4:31 mark of the first quarter. The Rockets never developed an offensive rhythm, a perfect complement to their shortcomings in other facets.

"We've just got to overall do a better job focusing on our game plan," Harden said. "Just go out there and execute. It's pretty simple. We're not going to overcomplicate anything. The game plan is pretty simple."

What the Clippers missed in the first half, open shots, they found in abundance in the third quarter, erasing a 50-46 halftime deficit by going 6-for-6 on 3s in the period en route to an 83-77 lead entering the fourth.

Much of their sudden shot-making came via confidence they lacked prior to the intermission. The Clippers' renewed vigor sprouted from the meager deficit they faced despite their uneven play in the first half. Presented a reprieve by the Rockets' benevolence, the Clippers thrived.

"It's just mental toughness," Barnes said. "I think that's been a weakness since I've been on this team. I think this year, of all years, I think we're starting to understand what mental toughness is."

With eight turnovers in the third quarter, the Rockets continued a trend they established from the opening tip. The Clippers scored their first eight points off four turnovers and, even after Houston pushed to a 37-24 lead on a 3-pointer from guard Pablo Prigioni, the Rockets could not secure the ball well enough to maintain momentum.

By the intermission the Clippers had 17 points off 14 turnovers, kick-starting their comeback with a transition dunk from Griffin at the 6:36 mark of the second. Griffin added a three-point play five minutes later to slice the deficit to three, and that was all the Clippers needed to keep it close, particularly given the Rockets' sloppiness.

"We didn't play with much composure all night long," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "We had 24 turnovers. We had (14) turnovers in the first half. We were just sloppy. They played with much more of an edge."

NOTES: Clippers G Chris Paul sat out Game 1 and Clippers coach Doc Rivers offered no guarantee that Paul would be available Wednesday night for Game 2. Paul suffered a strained left hamstring early in Game 7 of the Clippers' first-round series victory over the San Antonio Spurs yet finished that contest. Paul had improved by Monday, but Rivers did not want to put Paul in position to miss the entire series by aggravating the injury. "I just don't think he was healthy enough to play," Rivers said. "I just don't think the risk was worth it." ... Rockets G James Harden finished second to Warriors G Stephen Curry in MVP voting, earning 25 first-place votes and 936 points. Curry amassed 100 first-place votes and 1,198 points.