The Houston Rockets didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Clippers—they outworked, outmuscled, and finally outlasted them in a wild 115-113 finish that felt like a playoff preview more than a routine regular-season game.
Rockets Steal It Late Behind Amen Thompson’s Grit
For most of the night, this was a tug-of-war: big shot, big answer, repeat. Then came the sequence that decided everything.
With the game tied at 110-110 in the final 30 seconds, Houston crashed the offensive glass like their season depended on it. On the Rockets’
third offensive rebound of the possession—their
21st offensive board of the game—rookie guard
Amen Thompson tipped in an Alperen Sengun miss, drew a foul from Kris Dunn, and calmly sank the free throw for a three-point play with
17.2 seconds left.
That and-1 turned into the defining moment of the night. Thompson finished with
20 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on 8-of-12 shooting, flirting with a triple-double and looking every bit like the two-way engine Houston drafted him to be.
The Rockets improved to
16-6, avoiding back-to-back losses for the first time since late October and reinforcing their status as one of the West’s hottest rising teams.
Clippers’ Late-Game Meltdown
The Clippers had their chances—and then some.
Down three after Thompson’s and-1, Los Angeles got the ball back with time to extend the game. Instead, their closing execution completely unraveled:
-
Kawhi Leonard was whistled for an
offensive foul on a possession where the Clippers were looking for a tying shot.
- On the next opportunity,
Nicolas Batum committed a
violation on an inbounds pass, wasting another critical chance to even the score.
Those two errors in the final moments summed up a frustrating night for a Clippers team that is now
6-19, having lost
three straight and eight of their last nine.
This wasn’t a blowout or a no-show. It was a good performance undone by small details—and against a young, energetic Rockets squad, that was enough.
Zubac Erupts, Leonard and Harden Battle Former Team
Despite the loss, the Clippers had standout performances that would win them most games.
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Ivica Zubac was unstoppable inside, matching a season high with
33 points on 13-of-14 shooting, plus 7 rebounds. He feasted in the paint and punished Houston’s defense whenever they didn’t send help quickly enough.
-
Kawhi Leonard logged a
season-high 41 minutes, scoring
24 points as he continues ramping up his workload.
-
James Harden, facing the franchise he once headlined for eight-plus seasons, added
22 points, bringing some vintage shot-making and playmaking against his old crowd.
But the problem for L.A. wasn’t offense. It was the glass, effort plays, and late-game composure.
How Houston Won: Rebounding, Resiliency, and Sengun
The box score tells the story of this one: Houston
dominated the glass 51-28, including those
21 offensive rebounds that repeatedly reset possessions and wore the Clippers down.
At the center of it all—literally and figuratively—was
Alperen Sengun:
-
22 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists powered Houston’s offense and anchored their interior presence.
- Even when Sengun missed late, his activity created the chaos that led to Thompson’s game-winning tip-in.
Houston head coach Ime Udoka has built this team’s identity around physicality, defense, and discipline. Coming off a four-day rest after a brutal stretch of back-to-back games, the Rockets looked fresher and more connected, something local coverage leaned into while praising their
“resiliency and grit” in a tense finish.
Key Rockets Performers
-
Alperen Sengun – 22 PTS, 15 REB, 5 AST; the fulcrum of Houston’s offense and rebounding dominance.
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Amen Thompson – 20 PTS, 9 REB, 8 AST; made the game’s biggest play and filled the stat sheet.
- Supporting depth and effort on the glass helped tilt the margins in Houston’s favor all night.
Clippers’ Hard Truth: Effort and Details Are Killing Them
For the Clippers, this loss stings more than the blowouts. When you get:
- 33 efficient points from
Zubac,
- 24 from
Kawhi,
- 22 from
Harden,
you’re supposed to walk away with a win.
Instead, they head home with more questions:
-
Rebounding: Getting crushed
51-28 on the glass is a glaring red flag. It wasn’t just size—it was effort, positioning, and urgency.
-
Late-game execution: Offensive fouls and inbound violations in crunch time are the kind of mental mistakes that define a struggling team’s season.
-
Momentum: Three straight losses and eight in nine is more than a slump—it’s a pattern.
The schedule offers no sympathy: the Clippers now
host Memphis next, a game that suddenly feels like a must-win for confidence and optics.
What This Game Says About Both Teams
Rockets: Not a Fluke, a Problem
This game reinforces that the Rockets are not just fun—they’re
for real:
- They’ve avoided consecutive losses for weeks, showing an ability to bounce back quickly.
- Their young core—Sengun and Thompson in particular—delivers in high-pressure moments, not just garbage time.
- Their identity is clear: physical, relentless, and committed to the dirty work like rebounding.
For a franchise that has spent years in rebuild mode, this 16-6 start has the feel of a turning point.
Clippers: Talent vs. Toughness
The Clippers still have star power, but this game highlighted their current gap:
-
Talent kept them in it.
-
Toughness and details cost them the win.
If they want to escape the bottom of the Western Conference, fixing rebounding, late-game decision-making, and mental lapses has to be priority one.
What’s Next
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Rockets: Head to Denver next, a serious test against the defending champions and one of the league’s best frontcourts. Their performance on the glass in this game will need to carry over.
-
Clippers: Return home to face the Grizzlies, where anything short of a locked-in, high-urgency effort will only deepen the hole they’re in.
One game in December rarely feels defining. But for Houston, this 115-113 win over the Clippers is another brick in the foundation of a serious contender. For L.A., it’s a loud alarm that the margins they’re losing on—rebounds, focus, execution—are exactly the ones that separate winners from everyone else.
Sources
1. CLIPPERS at ROCKETS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS - YouTube
2. EXTENDED: CLIPPERS at ROCKETS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
3. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Houston Rockets Live Score and Stats
4. Three Takeaways As Houston Rockets Survive Against LA Clippers
5. Signature sequence helps lift Rockets to tight win over Clippers
6. Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Clippers Full Game Highlights
