Anticlimactic! Harden scored 12 points in the first quarter and only 19 points in the game, and the Rockets scored six double-ups on the Clippers

On November 14, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season is underway, the Clippers lost to the Rockets 103-111 away, the Clippers suffered 2 consecutive defeats, and the Rockets ushered in 3 consecutive wins.

Statistics

Clippers: Harden 19 points, six rebounds and seven assists, Powell 13 points, Derrick Jones Jr. 11 points, Mann 14 points

Rockets: Jalen Green 21 points, Shin Kyung 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, VanVleet 15 points, Dillon Brooks 15 points, Thompson 18 points and 11 rebounds, Eason 18 points and 10 rebounds

Background

The Clippers lost 128-134 to the Thunder in the last game, ending a four-game winning streak. Powell continued to show his hot touch, scoring a team-high 31 points, and under his leadership, the Clippers scored a total of five double-doubles. It's worth mentioning that during the previous four-game winning streak, the Clippers had at least four players score in double figures in each game. So far this season, Powell (team-high 26 points per game), Harden (20.8 points per game) and Zubac (16.9 points per game) have been the team's offensive mainstays. In addition, Coffey and Derrick Jones Jr. have averaged 13 and 12.4 points per game in their last five games, and their outstanding performances have rounded out the Clippers' offensive system.

The Rockets have been in good form lately, and in the last game against the Wizards, Shin Kyung played an important role in the final period, and when the opponent closed the 16-point gap to six points, Shin Kyung immediately stepped up and scored three consecutive goals to help the Rockets defuse the crisis, and he cut down 27 points and 17 rebounds in the game. In addition, the data shows that so far this season, Shin Jing and Jalen Green have played 261 minutes together, and the Rockets have won 53 points against their opponents during this period, with a net efficiency of 6.9.

Game recap

At the beginning of the game, the Clippers played well on the offensive end, with Powell, Jones Jr. and Harden teaming up to hit two three-pointers, and the Clippers got off to a great start with a 13-5 run. The Rockets responded immediately, with Jalen Green and Dillon also firing from the outside, and the Rockets instantly narrowed the gap to 2 points. In the face of the old master, Harden was also unrelenting, first helping Dunn hit a three-point shot, and then he played 3+1 on Jalen Green, and the Clippers rewrote the score to 22-11. Thompson's three-pointer opened a new round of scoring mode for the Rockets, and with a 15-3 offensive wave, the Rockets took a 26-25 lead. At the critical moment, Coffey's three-pointer from the bottom right corner helped the Clippers break the deadlock, but relying on Ethan's layup, the Rockets tied the score at 28-28 at the end of the first quarter. It is worth mentioning that the Clippers shot 7 of 10 from three-point range in the first quarter, and the Rockets shot 6 of 9 from three-point range.

In the second quarter, Mann and Powell combined for two three-pointers to give the Clippers a 34-30 lead. Ethan's dunk started a new wave of offense for the Rockets, and at 8 minutes and 26 seconds, after Thompson steals Dunn, he completes a violent dunk that explodes the arena on a fast break, and the Rockets rewrite the score to 43-39. The Clippers will respond immediately, and after a 6-0 offensive run, the Clippers will take another 45-43 lead. Harden's breakaway was tackled by Shin Kyung, who then threw the ball to Thompson, who received the ball and dunked. A few rounds later, VanVleet and Smith Jr. also contributed from the outside, and the Rockets regained a five-point advantage. The Clippers came back from a timeout to tie the score at 56 again. However, in the final minute and a half of the quarter, the Clippers didn't score a point. The Rockets relied on VanVleet's five points to take a 61-56 lead over the Clippers at the end of the first half. It should be pointed out thatHarden was heavily defended by the Rockets in the second quarter, taking only one shot in a single quarter and scoring two points from the free throw line.

When the Clippers narrowed the gap to one point, the Rockets immediately launched a 12-2 offensive run to rewrite the score to 73-62. Jones Jr. hit a three-pointer, but Jalen Green immediately returned the favor in the same way. Harden's layup started a new round of scoring for the Clippers, and Zubac and Powell also made contributions one after another, and after a wave of 9-0 offense, the Clippers chased the score to 74-76. However, in the final four and a half minutes of the quarter, the Clippers scored just two goals as the Rockets went on a 13-5 run to take an 89-79 lead over the Clippers at the end of the third quarter.

In the final quarter, the Clippers were still cold to freezing, and after three and a half minutes without scoring a point, the Rockets took the opportunity to extend their advantage to 19 points. The Clippers still did not give up, Miller scored 2+1, Mann and others also made contributions, and the Clippers chased the score to 94-102. Dillon's three-pointer helped the Rockets stabilize the team, but Hyland immediately returned the favor in the same way, and then Mann made a layup to cut the gap to six points. At 2:16, Shin Kyung scored on a layup to defend the Rockets' lead. At 2:03, Mann made a basket, followed by Jalen Green's layup. At 1:42, Hyland caused a defensive foul on Green and made all 2 free throws, and the Clippers chased it to 103-107. At the critical moment, Jalen Green missed two consecutive shots, but Miller's bottom corner three-pointer also missed the basket. With 48.1 seconds left, Shin Jing scored a dunk, followed by a wonderful block. In the end, the Rockets narrowly beat the Clippers.

Both sides start

Clippers: James Harden, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Terrence Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr

Rockets: Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Shenjing