Rockets Collapse in Second Half, Fall to Clippers, 122-116
Half Measure. Three-Headed Trimmer. Sinking Ship.
Houston led by as many as 20 points in the first half on Wednesday night, seemingly on their way to a third straight win. But once the Clippers got some momentum, the Rockets found themselves in trouble, as L.A. rallied to deal Houston a 122-116 defeat at home. The Rockets are now 0-2 this season against the Clippers, with both losses coming by six points each. Alperen Sengun had another tremendous performance for Houston, but it wasn’t enough, as L.A.’s star-power fueled their comeback. The Rockets led 57-44 at halftime, but this contest was truly a tale of two halves.
Kawhil Leonard, Paul George, and James Harden combined to score 60 of the Clippers’ 122 total points. L.A.’s Big-Three was simply too much for Houston to handle on Wednesday night. The Rockets didn’t necessarily play poorly, the stars for the Clippers just hit some tough shots. Sengun finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 14 assists on the night, his fourth career triple-double. Jabari Smith Jr. bounced back from a poor showing last game to score 19 points against L.A. Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet added 15 points apiece, and Cam Whitmore contributed 17 points off the bench for Houston.
The Rockets now find themselves with a 27-35 record. They sit roughly five games out of the final Play-In spot, and their chances of sneaking into the playoffs are dimming with each loss. To give the coaching staff and team credit, they were never expected to even contend for a playoff spot this season. The squad has exceeded everyone’s expectations. Getting off to a 13-9 start when Tari Eason was healthy may have raised those expectations a little too high, as this year proves, it’s a long NBA season. Houston still has a slight chance, but they need to reel off some wins quickly, or the Rockets will likely miss the playoffs once again this season.