Rockets Unable to Survive Second-Half Collapse Amid Home Loss to Clippers

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Despite suffering a home loss to the Clippers by a score of 122-116, the Houston Rockets were unable to continue their dominance in the first half of the game.  

BIG TEXAS -- When Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka thought back on their win on Tuesday, the only thing that bothered him was how poorly they started against the San Antonio Spurs.  

They trailed the Spurs by six at halftime after shooting 39.2%. The Rockets may have lost to their I-10 opponents without Alperen Şengün's 30 of 45 points in the second half.   

After twenty-four hours, the Rockets got off to one of their best starts of the season. They tried hard, but it wasn't enough as the Los Angeles Clippers beat Houston 122-116 at the Toyota Centre.  

The Clippers were trailing Houston by 57-44 going into the halftime break. Houston had a field goal percentage of 45.1 percent and a three-point field goal percentage of 42.9 percent during the first half.  

The Clippers were led by Kawhi Leonard, who scored 28 points by making 11 of 18 shots. He got 16 points in the second half to help Los Angeles win in the end.  

At 5:17 of the second quarter, the Rockets were ahead 50–30. After going up 14–7 at the end of the first half, the Clippers kept the pace going into the third quarter.   

Los Angeles beat Houston 36–29 in that time frame, and Paul George scored 10 of his 21 points during that time.In the fourth quarter, the Clippers cut Houston's lead to six points.   

And with 6:14 left in the half, Leonard made a 3-point field goal that pulled Los Angeles within two points, 101–99. Soon after, Leonard made a mid-range jump shot that tied the game at 108 with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter.  

Los Angeles ended the night on a 14-6 run, stopping the Rockets from getting back on track. Spurs scored 78 points in the second half against Houston's defence.  

After his performance against the Spurs, Şengün continued his impressive streak by achieving his second career triple-double, which consisted of 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 14 assists.   

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 19 points by making 6 of 11 shots. Cam Whitmore scored 17 points in the loss after coming off the bench. Both Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet scored 15 points.  

Following his departure from the Rockets in January 2021, James Harden made his fourth trip to Houston, where he finished with 21 points, seven assists, and five rebounds against the Rockets.  

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