Cold Shooting Night Dooms Clippers in 102-95 Loss to Rockets

The Los Angeles Clippers entered Tuesday's game in Houston looking to build on their recent momentum and climb closer to the .500 mark before the All-Star break. 

Instead, they ran into a Houston Rockets team that was more than ready for them at Toyota Center, and the result was a frustrating 102-95 loss that dropped the Clippers to 25-28 on the season.

The story of this game was simple. 

The Clippers could not shoot the ball, and the Rockets made them pay for it on the other end. 

Los Angeles went just 8-for-30 from three-point range, which is a far cry from the 20 threes they knocked down in their 128-108 blowout win over Houston back in December.

Rockets Pull Away in the Fourth

Houston led by six going into the final period and then opened the quarter on a 7-0 run to push the lead to 85-72 with about 10 minutes left. 

Kawhi Leonard hit a pair of free throws to stop the bleeding, but the Rockets answered right back and kept the Clippers at a safe distance for the rest of the night. 

Kevin Durant stole the ball from Brook Lopez later in the quarter, and Reed Sheppard followed with an off-balance three-pointer that made it 92-77, which pretty much sealed the deal. 

Coach Tyronn Lue cleared his bench shortly after that with the Clippers still down 15.

Leonard finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three assists on 7-of-19 shooting, which is well below his season average of 28.0 points per game on 49.5 percent shooting from the field. 

John Collins chipped in 17 points and eight rebounds, but the Clippers shot just 41 percent as a team and could never find a consistent rhythm on offense.

Mathurin and Jackson Make Their Debuts

Tuesday also marked the first game in a Clippers uniform for both Bennedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson, who were acquired from the Indiana Pacers at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana. 

Mathurin played 26 minutes off the bench and finished with nine points, seven rebounds, and four assists, though he struggled from the field at 4-of-13 shooting and went 0-for-2 from beyond the arc. 

It was not the debut he was hoping for, but there were flashes of the playmaking and hustle that made him a key piece of Indiana's Finals run last season. 

Jackson saw limited action at five minutes, finishing with five points on a perfect 2-for-2 from the floor. 

Darius Garland, who also came over from Cleveland in the James Harden trade, remains out with a toe injury.

Houston's Balanced Attack

On the other side, the Rockets got it done with balance and efficiency. Durant led the way with 26 points and three steals, while Alperen Sengun added 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. 

Amen Thompson returned from an illness to contribute 16 points and six rebounds, and Sheppard came off the bench to score 16 of his own, hitting four threes in the process. 

Jabari Smith Jr. added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

Houston shot 50 percent from three as a team, going 14-of-28, which was a big reason they were able to pull away. 

The Rockets improved to 33-19 and have now won seven of their last 10 games.

The two teams will run it back on Wednesday night in Houston for the final game before the All-Star break, and the Clippers will need a much better shooting performance if they want to avoid heading into the break on a sour note.