close
close

tub-blois

Breaking: Beyond Headlines!

Jalen Green scores 21 points in Rockets’ 111-103 win over Clippers
aecifo

Jalen Green scores 21 points in Rockets’ 111-103 win over Clippers

HOUSTON (AP) — Jalen Green had 21 points and Amen Thompson and Tari Eason added 18 each to lead the Houston Rockets to a 111-103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night in the first game of a set two matches.

The Rockets trailed by 11 points early, but took a five-point lead into halftime. They used a huge run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to extend the lead to 19.

The Clippers used a 9-2 run to cut the lead to four with about 90 seconds left, but Alperen Sengun had a dunk followed by a monster block on the other end to secure Houston’s third straight victory .

James Harden had 19 points for the Clippers, who lost a second straight time after winning four in a row. He was 3 of 4 on 3-pointers in the first quarter, but missed all four attempts after that. He came within three points to tie Ray Allen (2,973) for the second-most career 3-pointers in NBA history behind Stephen Curry (3,779).

Takeaways

Clippers: Los Angeles has struggled defensively in the last two games and would certainly benefit from the return of Kawhi Leonard, who has not played this season while rehabbing his right knee. He did not make this road trip and it is unclear when he will make his season debut.

Rockets: Eason and Thompson continue to give Houston a boost off the bench. Eason has scored in double figures in five straight games and Thompson has done so in three of the last four.

Key moment

The Rockets led by two late in the third quarter before using a 19-2 run to extend the lead to 98-79 with about 10 minutes left. Eason scored eight points during that stretch.

Key statistic

The Rockets grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to the Clippers’ 10 and helped them take a 19-6 advantage on second-chance points.

To be continued

The teams meet in Houston Friday evening.

___

NBA AP: