Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson teamed to spearhead a fourth-quarter rally that carried the Houston Rockets to a 115-113 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Sengun (22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four steals) contributed two critical post baskets down the stretch. Thompson posted 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, including a three-point play with 17.2 seconds left that broke a 110-110 tie.
Thompson had 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in the fourth as Houston erased an 82-80 deficit entering the frame.
The Rockets survived a wacky closing stretch to win for the sixth time in eight games. Jabari Smith Jr. (18 points, 10 rebounds) was whistled for an offensive foul right after Thompson’s go-ahead three-point play, but Ivica Zubac made just 1 of 2 from the line.
Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard was called for an offensive foul six seconds late. Aaron Holiday split two free throws, and after another Clippers turnover, Sengun made 1 of 2 at the line for a four-point lead with 6.5 seconds left, essentially sealing the outcome.
Leonard was dynamic on both ends, posting 24 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Zubac dominated the interior, producing 33 points on 13-of-14 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds. James Harden (22 points, seven assists) drilled a 3-pointer with 37.1 seconds left that tied the game at 110-110, but the Clippers could not avoid their eighth loss in nine games.
Holiday and Reed Sheppard combined for 23 points on 6-for-12 3-point shooting off the Houston bench. The Clippers shot 50% but were outrebounded 51-28, allowing the Rockets a plus-15 advantage on shot attempts.
Three early Clippers turnovers fueled a fast start for the Rockets, but when Leonard drilled back-to-back treys and Harden later added a three-point play, the Clippers cut an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to one with 7:04 to play.
The Clippers pulled even at 29-29 to end the first quarter, only for the Rockets to open the second with a 9-0 spurt.
Los Angeles responded with a 10-2 spurt but didn’t get over the hump until late in the first half, when Zubac produced two dunks, a layup and a free throw, giving the Clippers a 54-51 halftime lead. His layup at the 1:02 mark gave Los Angeles its first lead of the contest.
