The 32-19 Rockets will host the 25-27 Clippers tonight.
The Rockets are currently –290 favorites on the Moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the point total set to 212.5. Below, I’ll break down tonight’s matchup and offer my prediction.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Clippers preview, prediction
The Clippers dealt away James Harden and Ivica Zubac before the trade deadline, leaving their offense bereft of a primary playmaker and a starting center. Reportedly teams also called inquiring about Kawhi Leonard’s availability, but the Clips are expected to sit on Leonard until the offseason before exploring moves. Leonard’s kind of in no man’s land at the moment. While we cannot rule out the Clippers making a playoff push with just Kawhi Leonard, whose averages of 28 PPG (career-high), 6.4 RPG, and 3.7 APG on .49/.39/.91 splits are stellar, it’s questionable how far they’ll get after dealing away two core pieces. Regardless, the Clippers do not own their 2026 1st round pick and so it’s unlikely they’ll enter the tank. The prudency in me says that this team realistically has no shot of going past the first round, but I’m also curious what Kawhi can do by himself. The Clippers are now difficult to measure, as their stats on the season factored in James Harden’s presence on the team. They’re now projected to start Darius Garland (out), Bennedict Mathurin, Leonard, John Collins, and Brook Lopez. All we know for sure is that they got worse.
The Rockets have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games, and have beaten some good teams in this stretch, such as the Spurs, the Timberwolves, and the Thunder without SGA. While their offensive identity can be inconsistent at times, we have to applaud the defensive tenacity that Ime Udoka instills into this team season after season. This season they’re 6th in DEFRTG. It helps to have the lengths of players such as Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and of course the freakish athleticism of, say, an Amen Thompson. The defensive personnel on this team are lethal and can cover for the defensive lapses of Alperen Sengun. On offense, Kevin Durant does help address many of their issues in isolation scoring and half-court scoring, but they’re still missing a floor general. Despite their inconsistency, the Rockets have a top five OFFRTG on the season with 117.3, and should have an easy time getting buckets against a thin Clippers team tonight.
Rockets vs. Clippers pick, best bet
Best bet: LAC Clippers +7.5
With Bennedict Mathurin ready to make his Clippers debut tonight, this LAC team seems a little slept on. Houston’s defense is no joke, but the Clips have won two games in a row since they moved Harden and Zubac. Granted, one of these wins was against the Kings, but the other was a tough game against the Timberwolves in which Leonard dropped 41 points on 30 FGA in a 19 point win.
