Game ID: 22300897
LA Clippers @ Houston Rockets
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 27 30 29 30 116LAC 19 25 36 42 122
HOU vs LAC ScoutingHOU vs LAC Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
HOU availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/23, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 16)
BACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 35 min since (95% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (110% of 19)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 7 min since (50% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 35 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 19 min since (104% of 19)
BACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 16)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 5 min since (39% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 36 min since (98% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (112% of 19)
BACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 16)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 6 min since (48% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/29, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Tate missed 3 since 2/29, returns tonight: 6 min (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restBACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 4 min since (26% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Je. Green missed 2 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (63% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 6 min since (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 13 min (82% of 16)
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 11 min since (63% of 17)
HOU availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 12 min since (74% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 9 min since (59% of 16)
LAC availability going into 2/28 · 2 days' restOUT Hyland missed 10 since 2/02, out tonight
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 14 min since (85% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 10 min since (65% of 15)
LAC availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT George missed 2 since 2/25, returns tonight: 30 min (89% of 34)
OUT Hyland missed 11 since 2/02, returns tonight: 16 min (119% of 14)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 23 min since (134% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 10 min since (68% of 15)
NEW Powell 26 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Mann 25 to 31 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Zubac missed 2 since 2/28, returns tonight: 19 min (70% of 27)
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 22 min since (130% of 17)
BACK Tucker back 2/23 after 38, 10 min since (68% of 15)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 16 min since (119% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/04 · back-to-backOUT Tucker missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 32 min since (95% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (70% of 27)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 24 min since (141% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 15 min since (109% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/06 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 2 since 3/03, returns tonight: 20 min (140% of 14)
OUT Boston missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 34 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (79% of 27)
BACK Theis back 2/25 after 3, 22 min since (131% of 17)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 14 min since (99% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/09 · 2 days' restOUT Westbrook missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Boston missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 35 min since (102% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 19 min since (71% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (93% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/10 · back-to-backOUT Westbrook missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Tucker missed 5 since 3/01, returns tonight: 26 min (170% of 15)
OUT Boston missed 4 since 3/03, returns tonight: 18 min (178% of 10)
BACK George back 3/01 after 2, 36 min since (105% of 34)
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 21 min since (77% of 27)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 20 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hyland back 3/01 after 11, 13 min since (94% of 14)
LAC availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 5 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Zubac back 3/03 after 2, 22 min since (81% of 27)
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 13 min since (95% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 18 min since (178% of 10)
LAC availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restOUT Westbrook missed 6 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Tucker back 3/10 after 5, 26 min since (170% of 15)
BACK Plumlee back 3/06 after 2, 10 min since (73% of 14)
BACK Boston back 3/10 after 4, 13 min since (133% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 41 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 24 and Sengun at 23 a game. Without Tate (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (2 straight), Tucker (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-1 a night and the Clippers minus-3. Call it Houston 113, the Clippers 112, the Clippers keeping it close.
2/27 @ OKC 95-112 — HOU notes
HOU lost 95-112. HOU shot 39% (37 of 95) to OKC's 47%, 9 of 39 from three. Sengun led with 23 (8 of 13, 7 of 12 at the line); Smith Jr. added 18, Ja. Green 16. Q1 was theirs, 29-28, but the other 3 periods went 84-66 against them. VanVleet's -17 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/29 @ PHX 105-110 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-110. HOU took 10 more shots (99 to 89), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 33% to PHX's 40%, 11 of 45 from three, and got to the line 31 times to PHX's 37. Ja. Green led with 34 (10 of 28, 7 of 17 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); VanVleet added 21, Whitmore 14. Q4 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 11 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 86-75 against them. Sengun's -17 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 @ PHX 118-109 — HOU notes
HOU won 118-109. HOU shot 44% (42 of 96) to PHX's 46%, 16 of 42 from three. HOU turned it over 12 times to PHX's 19. Ja. Green led with 34 (12 of 23, 6 of 12 from three); VanVleet added 24, Sengun 21. The hinge was Q1, 38-19: from level to 19 ahead. Brooks was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/05 vs SAS 114-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-101. HOU shot 47% (49 of 105) to SAS's 44%, 9 of 34 from three. HOU turned it over 5 times to SAS's 18. Sengun led with 45 (19 of 32, 2 of 3 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 23, VanVleet 21. The hinge was Q4, 34-24: a lead of 3 became 13. HOU trailed 47-53 at the half and won the second half 67-48. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/06 vs LAC 116-122 — HOU notes
HOU lost 116-122. HOU took 14 more shots (94 to 80), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 48% to LAC's 55%, 16 of 37 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAC's 26. Sengun led with 23 (10 of 19, 3 of 8 at the line); Smith Jr. added 19, Whitmore 17. Q1 was theirs, 27-19, but the other 3 periods went 103-89 against them. They led by as many as 20. Smith Jr.'s -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/08 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Simons at 25 and Grant at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Sharpe (24 straight), Ayton (4 straight), Henderson (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 24 and Sengun at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 10 and the arc, Portland at 38 percent from three to Houston's 31. Call it Portland 112, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
3/10 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 32 and Monk at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 27 and Sengun at 23 a game. Without Je. Green (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Sacramento has been plus-8 a night and Houston plus-1 and the defense, Houston allowing 110 a night to Sacramento's 120. Call it Sacramento 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
3/12 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Vassell at 22 a game. Without Osman (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 24 a game. Without Tate (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to Houston's 9 and the arc, San Antonio at 42 percent from three to Houston's 37. Call it Houston 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and Ja. Green at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 26 and Poole at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Bagley III (4 straight), Holmes (2 straight), Champagnie (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 13 times a game to Houston's 9. Call it Houston 117, Washington 109.
2/28 vs LAL 112-116 — LAC notes
LAC lost 112-116. LAC shot 51% (45 of 89) to LAL's 55%, 10 of 37 from three, and went to the line 16 times to LAL's 10 — 12 points from the stripe to their 8. Leonard led with 26 (11 of 19, 3 of 6 from three); Harden added 23, Mann 16. Q2 was theirs, 36-23, but the other 3 periods went 93-76 against them. They led by as many as 21. Powell's -13 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 vs WAS 140-115 — LAC notes
LAC won 140-115. LAC shot 57% (54 of 94) to WAS's 47%, 13 of 32 from three, and went to the line 25 times to WAS's 15 — 19 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 49-39 for them. Harden led with 28 (9 of 13, 6 of 9 from three); Leonard added 27, George 22. The hinge was Q2, 46-34: a lead of 3 became 15, and the lead reached 28. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/03 @ MIN 89-88 — LAC notes
LAC won 89-88. LAC shot 38% (32 of 85) to MIN's 39%, 10 of 34 from three. LAC turned it over 9 times to MIN's 15. The glass went 40-54 against them. Leonard led with 32 (12 of 26, 1 of 4 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Powell added 24, George 15. The hinge was Q2, 31-16: LAC came in trailing by 12 and left it ahead by 3. Powell was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/04 @ MIL 106-113 — LAC notes
LAC lost 106-113. LAC shot 44% (37 of 84) to MIL's 47%, 16 of 40 from three. Harden led with 29 (9 of 16, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); George added 29, Leonard 16. Q1 was theirs, 35-25, but the other 3 periods went 88-71 against them. They led by as many as 15. Coffey's -17 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/06 @ HOU 122-116 — LAC notes
LAC won 122-116. LAC shot 55% (44 of 80) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 29 from three, and went to the line 26 times to HOU's 17 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. Leonard led with 28 (11 of 18, 1 of 4 from three); Harden added 21, George 21. The hinge was Q4, 42-30: LAC came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. LAC trailed 44-57 at the half and won the second half 78-59. Plumlee was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
3/09 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 26 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (3 straight), Tucker (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 28 and White at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 110 a night to Chicago's 117 and the arc, Chicago at 40 percent from three to the Clippers' 35. Call it the Clippers 117, Chicago 111.
3/10 vs MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (4 straight), Tucker (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 32 and Lillard at 24 a game. Without Middleton (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 115, Milwaukee 112, Milwaukee keeping it close.
3/12 vs MIN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (5 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Reid at 17 a game. Without Towns (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 112, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/14 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 29 and Vučević at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; George at 24 and Harden at 18 a game. Without Westbrook (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where the Clippers have been minus-0 a night and Chicago minus-5 and the defense, the Clippers allowing 115 a night to Chicago's 121. Call it the Clippers 115, Chicago 114, Chicago keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
LACAC A. Coffey
BH B. Hyland
DT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
MP M. Plumlee
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
TM T. Mann
HOU/LAC the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Leonard has 28 points as Clippers rally late for 122-116 win over Rockets
HOUSTON -- — Kawhi Leonard had 28 points, and Paul George and James Harden each scored 21 as the Los Angeles Clippers rallied for a 122-116 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
The Clippers trailed by as many as 20 points and didn’t lead in the second half until there were less than three minutes remaining.
“In the first half it was like we were running in mud,” Clippers' coach Tyronn Lue said. “We couldn’t keep up with them. They got out in transition and we just couldn’t get back and get matched. So at halftime we made a strong point about that.”
Los Angeles overcame another big night from Houston big man Alperen Sengun , who had 23 points, a season-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists for his fourth career triple-double. It came a night after he scored a career-best 45 points in a win over San Antonio.
Jabari Smith Jr.’s 3-pointer got the Rockets within 2 with less than two minutes to go. Norman Powell made one of two free throws for the Clippers before Sengun missed two free throws with just over a minute remaining to leave Houston down 115-112.
Fred VanVleet got a technical with 48 seconds left arguing about a foul called on Sengun on a shot attempt by George. He made all three free throws to extend the lead to 118-112 and send the home fans streaming for the exits.
Leonard was asked about the difference in his team from the first to second half.
“Just coming out with more energy,” he said. “I feel like especially in the first quarter we were sluggish, thinking we were just going to win the game. Then we obviously started picking it up with our energy and started cutting and screening.”
Smith added 19 points for Houston and rookie Cam Whitmore had 17.
“We guarded well in the first half and didn't in the second half,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “Credit to them because they do have three really good scorers that can get it going, but you'd like to have a little more resistance or consistency between the two halves.”
The Clippers used an 8-1 run to make it 111-109 and give them their first lead since early in the first quarter with just under three minutes to play. Powell started that run with a 3 and George capped it with another one before pointing to his teammates on the bench.
Houston missed a shot after that before Leonard had a 3-point play to extend the lead to 114-109 with two minutes left.
Houston led by 10 after a basket by Dillon Brooks early in the fourth quarter before Los Angeles used a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 96-91. Harden led the way in that stretch, scoring seven points.
Whitmore made a 3 for the Rockets before an 8-2 run by the Clippers, powered by 3s from George and Leonard cut the lead to 101-99 midway through the quarter.
The Rockets were up by 11 with about three minutes left in the third quarter before the Clippers used an 8-1 run to get to 82-78 with about 90 seconds left in the quarter.
Sengun and Brooks both made a basket for Houston after that, but Leonard ended the quarter with a jump shot to cut the lead to 86-80 entering the fourth.