Game ID: 22300037
Houston Rockets @ LA Clippers
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 10:30 PM ET
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
LAC 29 19 31 27 106HOU 23 27 27 23 100
HOU @ LAC ScoutingHOU @ 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.
LAC availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restNEW Westbrook 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 26 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restNEW Westbrook 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 23 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 25 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Hyland 14 to 23 min over the last 4
LAC availability going into 11/17 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
OUT Plumlee missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 11/12, out tonight
NEW Westbrook 22 to 28 min over the last 5
LAC availability going into 11/20 · 2 days' restOUT Coffey missed 3 since 11/12, returns tonight: 4 min (20% of 21)
OUT Plumlee missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 3 since 11/12, returns tonight: 4 min (30% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (20% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (30% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Plumlee missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Coffey back 11/20 after 3, 7 min since (35% of 21)
BACK Hyland back 11/20 after 3, 4 min since (30% of 14)
LAC availability going into 11/25 · back-to-backOUT Plumlee missed 8 since 11/08, out tonight
OUT Hyland missed 2 since 11/22, returns tonight: 4 min (27% of 14)
BACK Coffey back 11/20 after 3, 7 min since (35% of 21)
HOU availability going into 11/06 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 3 since 10/29, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 1 min since (7% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 15 min since (91% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (114% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/08 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 2 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Eason missed 4 since 10/29, returns tonight: 14 min (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 17 min since (104% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 16 min since (115% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/10 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 3 since 11/04, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 14 min since (65% of 22)
BACK Whitmore back 11/04 after 3, 7 min since (36% of 19)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (113% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 15 min since (108% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/12 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 4 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 2 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (76% of 22)
BACK Holiday back 11/01 after 2, 18 min since (108% of 16)
BACK Landale back 11/01 after 2, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/17 · 4 days' restOUT Thompson missed 5 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 16 min since (75% of 22)
NEW Tate 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/19 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 6 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 4 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
HOU availability going into 11/20 · back-to-backOUT Thompson missed 7 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 5 since 11/08, out tonight
BACK Eason back 11/08 after 4, 17 min since (79% of 22)
HOU availability going into 11/22 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 8 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 6 since 11/08, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/24 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 9 since 11/04, out tonight
OUT Whitmore missed 7 since 11/08, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 0-5 over their last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Coffey (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 97, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 20 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Thompson (5 straight), Whitmore (3 straight). 4 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 97 a night to the Clippers' 114 and the turnovers, the Clippers giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 10. Call it Houston 112, the Clippers 106.
11/08 @ BKN 93-100 — LAC notes
LAC lost 93-100. LAC shot 40% (36 of 91) to BKN's 40%, 8 of 36 from three. George led with 24 (7 of 20, 2 of 10 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Leonard added 17, Westbrook 13. Q1 was theirs, 21-13, but the other 3 periods went 87-72 against them. Harden's -15 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/10 @ DAL 126-144 — LAC notes
LAC lost 126-144. LAC shot 49% (43 of 88) to DAL's 52%, 8 of 27 from three, and went to the line 36 times to DAL's 26 — 32 points from the stripe to their 23. LAC turned it over 14 times to DAL's 8. Leonard led with 26 (8 of 15, 2 of 4 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Hyland added 17, Harden 14. Q4 was theirs, 37-29, the deficit cut from 26 to 18, but the other 3 periods went 115-89 against them. They led by as many as 12. N. Powell's -35 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/12 vs MEM 101-105 — LAC notes
LAC lost 101-105. LAC shot 44% (37 of 85) to MEM's 42%, 12 of 34 from three. George led with 26 (8 of 16, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Powell added 20, Leonard 14. Q4 was theirs, 33-26, the deficit cut from 11 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 79-68 against them. Harden's -28 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/14 @ DEN 108-111 — LAC notes
LAC lost 108-111. LAC took 13 more shots (86 to 73), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to DEN's 53%, 13 of 29 from three, and got to the line 24 times to DEN's 32. George led with 35 (13 of 26, 4 of 11 from three); Harden added 21, Leonard 15. Q3 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 8 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 87-76 against them. Tucker's -7 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/17 vs HOU 106-100 — LAC notes
LAC won 106-100. LAC shot 43% (36 of 83) to HOU's 43%, 13 of 34 from three, and went to the line 30 times to HOU's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 14. Leonard led with 26 (8 of 16, 3 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Harden added 24, George 23. The hinge was Q1, 29-23: from level to 6 ahead. LAC trailed 48-50 at the half and won the second half 58-50. Harden was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
11/20 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Vassell at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Vassell (2 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 1-4 over their last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; George at 23 and Leonard at 20 a game. Without Coffey (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 112 a night to San Antonio's 121 and the line, where the Clippers take 25 free throws a game to San Antonio's 18. Call it the Clippers 115, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
11/22 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Johnson at 21 and Collins at 17 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Vassell (3 straight). One day's rest. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; George at 24 and Leonard at 20 a game. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where the Clippers take 28 free throws a game to San Antonio's 17 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 17 times a game to the Clippers' 11. Call it the Clippers 117, San Antonio 111.
11/24 vs NOP — 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 110 a night and allowing 103, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 26 free throws a game; George at 27 and Leonard at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without McCollum (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it the Clippers 113, New Orleans 111, New Orleans keeping it close.
11/25 vs DAL — 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 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; George at 29 and Leonard at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Irving at 27 and Dončić at 26 a game. Without Kleber (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the defense, the Clippers allowing 106 a night to Dallas's 122. Call it the Clippers 117, Dallas 112.
11/06 vs SAC 122-97 — HOU notes
HOU won 122-97. HOU shot 57% (43 of 75) to SAC's 44%, 15 of 31 from three, and went to the line 27 times to SAC's 20 — 21 points from the stripe to their 11. Ja. Green led with 23 (5 of 9, 3 of 5 from three, 10 of 12 at the line); Sengun added 17, Smith Jr. 13. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: a lead of 10 became 25, and the lead reached 40. Brooks was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
11/08 vs LAL 128-94 — HOU notes
HOU won 128-94. HOU shot 55% (51 of 93) to LAL's 42%, 14 of 33 from three. The glass went 57-34 for them. Ja. Green led with 28 (11 of 15, 5 of 6 from three); Sengun added 19, Tate 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-19: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 35. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
11/10 vs NOP 104-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 104-101. HOU shot 41% (36 of 88) to NOP's 45%, 10 of 35 from three, and got to the line 28 times to NOP's 34. HOU turned it over 9 times to NOP's 18. Ja. Green led with 25 (7 of 18, 2 of 8 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Sengun added 24, VanVleet 20. The hinge was Q4, 34-22: HOU came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 3. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
11/12 vs DEN 107-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 107-104. HOU shot 43% (37 of 87) to DEN's 46%, 10 of 32 from three, and went to the line 29 times to DEN's 14 — 23 points from the stripe to their 11. VanVleet led with 26 (9 of 21, 3 of 9 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Sengun added 23, Je. Green 15. The hinge was Q4, 33-28: HOU came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 3. HOU trailed 46-50 at the half and won the second half 61-54. Je. Green was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/17 @ LAC 100-106 — HOU notes
HOU lost 100-106. HOU shot 43% (38 of 88) to LAC's 43%, 10 of 31 from three, and got to the line 20 times to LAC's 30. Sengun led with 23 (8 of 18, 2 of 5 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 20, VanVleet 19. Q2 was theirs, 27-19, turning a 6-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 87-73 against them.
11/19 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 28 and Russell at 19 a game. Without Vincent (9 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 100, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Thompson (6 straight), Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 44 percent from three to Houston's 36 and the defense, Houston allowing 100 a night to the Lakers' 111. Call it Houston 111, the Lakers 110, the Lakers keeping it close.
11/20 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Curry at 31 and Wiggins at 14 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Green (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (7 straight), Whitmore (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 102 a night to Golden State's 119 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 13. Call it Houston 111, Golden State 110, Golden State keeping it close.
11/22 vs MEM — 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 106 a night and allowing 107, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Thompson (8 straight), Whitmore (6 straight). One day's rest. Memphis comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 42 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Bane at 27 and Aldama at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Morant (13 straight), Smart (2 straight), Jackson (9 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Memphis's 114 and the arc, Memphis at 37 percent from three to Houston's 32. Call it Houston 112, Memphis 108, Memphis keeping it close.
11/24 vs DEN — 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 105, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. Without Thompson (9 straight), Whitmore (7 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 23 and Porter Jr. at 18 a game. Without Murray (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 105 a night to Denver's 114 and the arc, Denver at 37 percent from three to Houston's 33. Call it Houston 111, Denver 108, Denver keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
TE T. Eason
LACDT D. Theis
IZ I. Zubac
JH J. Harden
KL K. Leonard
NP N. Powell
PG P. George
PT P. Tucker
RW R. Westbrook
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
James Harden's tiebreaking 4-point play snaps Clippers' 6-game skid, beats Rockets 106-100
LOS ANGELES -- — James Harden hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer while getting fouled with six seconds to play, sending the Los Angeles Clippers to their first victory since his arrival with a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night in the NBA In-Season Tournament.
Harden dramatically drew the foul from Jae'Sean Tate and drilled his vintage 26-footer from atop the key before completing the four-point play to secure the win. The Clippers had lost six games in a row, including their first five since acquiring Harden from Philadelphia.
“We've still got a long way to go, but obviously it felt good to get a win,” Harden said. “You can't take those for granted. But like I continue to say, it's a building process, and I can see a lot of (areas for) improvement on both sides of the ball to correct and get used to.”
Jabari Smith Jr. forced Kawhi Leonard to give up the ball on the decisive possession, but Harden came through with the biggest shot of his short tenure with his hometown team. Harden finished with a season-high 24 points and nine rebounds against the Rockets, his team for nine seasons from 2012-2021.
“He played great,” Leonard said, mentioning Harden’s 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists and just three turnovers. “That’s a great ratio with as much as he has the basketball. We know how good he is.”
Leonard added two free throws in the final second and finished with 26 points as the Clippers avoided their longest losing streak since the 2019 arrivals of Leonard and Paul George , who added 23 points and eight rebounds.
“I feel like Kawhi was their first option,” Smith said of Harden's four-point play. “But with three All-Stars and Hall of Famers on their team, I feel like the job wasn’t done, and he just made a tough shot.”
Alperen Sengun had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Rockets, whose six-game winning streak ended because they allowed the Clippers to finish the game on a 12-1 run. Jalen Green added 20 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 points and 10 assists in the opener of Houston's three-game California road trip.
Russell Westbrook had eight points in just 17 minutes after coming out of the Clippers’ starting lineup at Westbrook’s suggestion in an attempt to balance their rotation. The changes appeared to help for stretches, but Los Angeles still struggled to pull away until their stars took charge late.
“Just got to get Russ comfortable,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Just switching units and playing with different guys, got to get him used to it. It’s tough to go from starting to the bench, especially the caliber of player he is. We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got the right people on the floor with him.”
The Clippers got their first victory in three tournament games, while the Rockets dropped to 1-1 in tournament play.
Neither team managed to hold a substantial lead. Houston was up 99-94 with 2:02 left, but George’s driving layup trimmed the lead to one point before Harden drove and dished to Ivica Zubac for a go-ahead dunk in the final minute.
Sengun made one of two free throws to tie it 100-100 after Leonard fouled him with 29 seconds to play.
Dillon Brooks got another night of enthusiastic boos in the city where his insults of LeBron James did nothing to slow the second-seeded Grizzlies' swift playoff exit last spring. Westbrook laughed in Brooks' face after Brooks fouled the former Lakers guard on a dunk attempt in the first half.
Before the game, the Clippers signed big man Daniel Theis, who had two points and three rebounds in his debut. The German veteran, waived by Indiana earlier in the week, will be a backup big man with Mason Plumlee sidelined by a sprained knee.