The Los Angeles Clippers had the chance to beat one of the best teams in the league, the Houston Rockets, if only veteran forward Nicolas Batum had not made a crucial error that eventually cost them the game.
With James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac sharing the floor together, the Clippers were looking to bounce back after winning only one game in their last eight contests. Both the Clippers and the Rockets were perfectly rested, and neither allowed the other to get a double-digit lead. It was a fair back-and-forth exchange between two star-studded teams, but Houston managed to escape the collapse and take the win at the Toyota Center, 115-113, thanks to Batum’s inbound violation in the final seconds of the game, which then led to an Amen Thompson clutch putback lay to seal the deal.
Alperen Sengun was a man on a mission after recording 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Amen Thompson was flirting with a productive triple-double, putting up an efficient 20 points, 8 dimes, and 9 boards as well as the game-winning tip. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was quiet but still came up with 16 points on 5-for-14 from the field.
Rockets’ Massively Outrebounding the Clippers Probably Saved Them
It wasn’t much of a surprise that the Houston Rockets, the NBA’s top rebounding team, would control the glass throughout the game. However, against Los Angeles, they turned into a different beast and outrebounded their opponents, 51-28. Out of their 51 total rebounds, 22 of those were offensive boards, one of which was obviously the game-winning shot by Thompson. As it turns out, crashing the boards almost twice as hard as the Clippers saved the Rockets from choking.
Ivica Zubac finished the game with a team-high 33 points and topped it with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden chipped in 24 and 22 points, respectively, the only two Clippers players who achieved more than 11 points.
The Struggle Continues for the LA Clippers
That “other” LA team, a.k.a the Los Angeles Clippers, continues to be a disappointing franchise. They are now 6-19 and are tied with the Sacramento Kings in the second-worst record in the Western Conference and third-worst in the NBA. They’ve been struggling so far, even with Leonard back in action and Harden playing like an All-Star again.
From questionable offseason signings, the baffling “OKC 2026 draft pick,” the Kawhi controversy, recurring injury issues, and, most recently, the front office issues with Chris Paul, the Clippers are surely having a disastrous season—one that they might not recover from even in the long run.
