Jabari Smith Jr. has season-high 28 points as Rockets rout Clippers
Nov 16, 2024, 6:03 pm
Rockets defeat the Clippers, 125-104. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Jabari Smith Jr. had a season-high 28 points with five 3-pointers and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 125-104 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in their NBA Cup opener.
It was Houston’s season-high fourth straight victory and the team’s second straight over the Clippers after getting a 111-103 win Wednesday night.
The Rockets led comfortably throughout and used a big run in the third quarter to enter the fourth leading by 19.
Fred VanVleet added 18 points and 10 assists for Houston and Dillon Brooks scored 17.
James Harden had 21 points for the Clippers, who lost their third straight after winning their previous four. He made three 3-pointers to move into a tie with Ray Allen (2,973) for second-most career 3-pointers behind Stephen Curry, who entered Friday with 3,779.
Takeaways
Clippers: Los Angeles was flat in its two games in Houston after its season-long winning streak. They’ll need to regroup and find a way to get more production from their starting lineup while they await the return of Kawhi Leonard. He hasn’t played this season while rehabilitating his right knee.
Rockets: Tari Eason and Amen Thompson again gave Houston a boost off the bench. The two combined for 29 points after scoring 18 each in Wednesday’s win.
Key moment
The Clippers used a 6-2 run to get within 12 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter before Houston scored the next nine points to extend the lead to 79-58. Brooks started that run with a 3 before VanVleet found Jalen Green for an alley-oop dunk.
Key stat
The Rockets had 20 fast-break points to just eight by the Clippers.
Up next
The Rockets visit Chicago on Sunday night and the Clippers host Utah that night.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
The Houston Rockets (8-4) aim to keep their strong home form intact on Friday as they take on the Los Angeles Clippers (6-6) at the Toyota Center. Currently on a four-game home winning streak, the Rockets are favored by 4.5 points according to BetMGM Sportsbook, with the over/under set at 214.5.
The Rockets have shown strength on the boards, leading the league with an impressive 49.7 rebounds per game, powered by Alperen Sengun’s average of 11.5. Offensively, Houston is scoring 111.3 points per game, which is slightly above the 109 points the Clippers allow on average. The Rockets are 5-3 against Western Conference rivals, contributing to their 7-3 record over the last ten games.
The Clippers, who have struggled somewhat against Western Conference teams with a 4-6 record, are sixth in the conference in offensive rebounding, averaging 12.0 per game. Ivica Zubac leads this effort, pulling in 4.2 offensive rebounds per game while adding 16.2 points and 12.3 total rebounds.
Houston’s defensive prowess has been a standout, allowing opponents just 106.2 points per game. The Clippers have averaged 109.4 points over their last ten games but will be missing star Kawhi Leonard due to a knee injury, which may hamper their scoring potential. Houston will look to capitalize on this absence and extend their winning momentum at home.
Injury-wise, the Rockets list Steven Adams as day-to-day with a knee issue, while the Clippers may also be without P.J. Tucker, listed as day-to-day for personal reasons.
____________________________________
ChatGPT assisted with this content.