HOUSTON -- Having gone so long without a roster that could be fairly described as intact, the Los Angeles Clippers might have reached the point where they're defined by who is available, not who isn't.

Austin Rivers caught fire in the second half and, backed by Lou Williams, shot the short-handed Los Angeles Clippers past the Houston Rockets 128-118 on Friday night at Toyota Center.

Rivers scored 30 of his team-high 36 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the second half, drilling 5 of 10 3-pointers after intermission to keep the injury-riddled Rockets (25-6) at bay.

Williams, traded by Houston in the offseason as part of the blockbuster Chris Paul deal, scored 20 of his 32 points after the break. The Clippers (13-18) were down five rotation players and four starters yet erased a 15-point deficit against a Rockets team that had won 20 of 22.

"The is the group of guys we're going to be with for a few weeks to a month now," Williams said. "And we understand that. Guys have to play with confidence and that's the only way we're going to be successful. Everybody on the same page."

Rivers and Williams combined to go 11 of 17 on 3s in the second half to offset another stellar performance from Rockets guard James Harden, who became the first player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to post consecutive 50-point games. Harden totaled 51 points and eight assists.

Harden finished 15 of 28 from the floor, 6 of 14 from behind the arc, and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line while playing 41-plus minutes for just the fourth time this season. Eric Gordon added 28 points as Houston closed a season-long seven-game homestand with consecutive losses.

The Rockets' frustration with the officiating boiled over in the fourth quarter when forward P.J. Tucker, coach Mike D'Antoni and Harden all received technical fouls. Harden was ejected after being disqualified on fouls with 26.6 seconds remaining.

"Bull---- calls," Harden said. "I'm tired of hearing, 'I made a mistake.' Or, 'I didn't see it.' It's frustrating as a player. I know we all make mistakes, but it's frustrating."

On the verge of a blowout loss, the Clippers rallied back into contention in the third quarter.

After Harden pushed the Rockets to a 67-52 lead with a driving layup to open the quarter, Rivers exploded.

Rivers missed 6 of 7 shots before the break but opened the second half with 10 points with 8:27 left in the third. His 3 with 5:25 left in the quarter evened the score at 74 and the Clippers followed his lead, adding four additional treys down the stretch.

"I had to be aggressive," Rivers said. "I came to the locker room (at halftime) and my teammates were telling me, 'Austin, you've got to start being more aggressive.' At halftime, I knew that if we were going to win, I had to start being in attack mode. Right from the get-go (in the third), my whole attention was to be aggressive and take the fight to them."

When C.J. Williams beat the buzzer with a 3 that gave the Clippers an 87-85 lead entering the fourth, it capped a 35-point quarter and 7-of-13 shooting from deep in the third.

Harden almost single-handedly spotted the Rockets their double-digit lead, scoring 20 first-quarter points while going 6 of 10 from the floor. Upon returning to action in the second, he maintained his hot hand and closed his 30-point half with a buzzer-beating 3 for a 65-52 lead.

It was all for naught. Houston repeatedly failed to contain Rivers and Williams. The Clippers shot 55.8 percent (24 for 43) in the second half while erasing that 13-point deficit.

"Maybe the minutes are a little bit heavy on our legs; there's reasons for everything," D'Antoni said. "But they did what they're supposed to do. They played well and they hit big shots. We did not do what we were supposed to do."

NOTES: With G Chris Paul (left adductor strain) joining the previously sidelined duo of F Luc Mbah a Moute (shoulder) and C Clint Capela (heel), the minutes load on Rockets G James Harden will be monitored closely. In the 14 complete games Paul played upon his return from a knee injury, Harden averaged 35.3 minutes, which would represent his lowest total in six seasons with Houston. Harden logged 41 minutes on Friday. ... Clippers F Jamil Wilson made his first start at the three, a move made to help offset Los Angeles being without five rotation players. ... Clippers G Milos Teodosic sat as part of his return from injury management.