Houston Rockets Fall to Los Angeles Clippers, Six-Game Winning Streak Ends

The Houston Rockets' six-game winning streak ended Friday night in a 106-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Houston Rockets played the Los Angeles Clippers close for 48 minutes but failed to record their first road win of the 2023-24 season. The Rockets sustained a 106-100 loss to the Clippers inside the Crypto.com Arena Friday night. 

With the game tied at 100 with 26.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter, James Harden drilled an And-1 triple to end the Rockets' six-game winning streak. 

Harden finished the game with his best performance since joining the Clippers on Nov. 1. He scored 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, 2-of-6 from behind the arc. The former league MVP winner (2018) also added nine rebounds and seven assists in the win.

The Rockets led the Clippers 99-94 with two minutes left in the final period, but Los Angeles outscored Houston 12-1 down the stretch. Kawhi Leonard scored a game-high 26 points.

Alperen Şengün led the Rockets with a team-high 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while Jalen Green added 20 in the loss. 

Fred VanVleet had a near-triple-double performance. He finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 from behind the arc, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Tari Eason came off the bench and added a dozen points and six rebounds.

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green shoots the ball past L.A. Clippers forward Paul George during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Rockets fall to 1-1 during In-Season Tournament play:

By falling to the Clippers, the Rockets are 1-1 during their In-Season Tournament play. With the loss, the Denver Nuggets and New Orleans Pelicans are tied for the top seed in Group B with a 2-1 record. The Dallas Mavericks and Clippers are tied for fourth and fifth place with a 1-2 record. 

Up Next:

The Rockets will continue their three-game California road trip Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. They will then close their road trip Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. Tip-off between the Rockets and Lakers is slated for 8:30 p.m. CDT inside Crypto.com Arena.