Rockets beat playoff-bound Clippers 116-105 to salvage a .500 season. Kawhi Leonard still out for LA
LOS ANGELES (AP) Rookie Cam Whitmore scored 21 points and the Houston Rockets beat the playoff-bound Los Angeles Clippers 116-105 on Sunday to finish at .500 season and avoid a fourth straight losing season.
Rookie Amen Thompson had a triple-double of 18 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 10 assists for the already eliminated Rockets, who finished 41-41 in coach Ime Udoka's first season. Houston was 22-60 last year and 20-62 in 2022.
The Pacific Division champion and fourth-seeded Clippers are headed to the playoffs, where they'll meet Luka Donic and the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round next weekend.
Terance Mann scored 24 points and Amir Coffey added 18 for the Clippers in their last regular-season game at Crypto.com Arena. It's where they've juggled dates with the Lakers and NHL’s Kings since 1999. The team is moving to its new Intuit Dome in Inglewood next season.
The Clippers couldn't avoid their first three-game losing streak since James Harden's first game with the team, when they lost six in a row from Nov. 1-14.
Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard missed his eighth straight game because of right knee inflammation. The team went 4-4 over that stretch.
Coach Tyronn Lue gave his usual opaque answers about Leonard’s status for the upcoming playoffs before the game. “We’ll see. He feels OK,” said Lue, who, when asked if Leonard has been working out, said, “He’s been doing a little something.”
Also sitting out for the Clippers were Paul George, Harden, Ivica Zubac, Russell Westbrook, Norman Powell and Bones Hyland, who scored a combined 64 points in his previous three games.
Xavier Moon had 14 points, six rebounds and six assists in his first career start for the Clippers. Moon, a 6-footer, beat 7-foot-4 Boban Marjanovic in a jump ball in the fourth. They matched up again and Marjanovic stuck out his long arm to poke the ball away from Moon.
“He's a big boy,” said Clippers assistant Dan Craig who coached the game, “but X got that jump ball against him.”
Marjanovic scored 13 points in 12 minutes of the fourth. The former Clipper delighted the fans when he smilingly missed two free throws to ensure they would receive free chicken sandwiches.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jock Landale vs. Mason Plumlee (Xavier Moon gains possession) | ||
| 11:52 | | Terance Mann misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:50 |  | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:30 | | Terance Mann defensive rebound | ||
| 11:22 | | Xavier Moon misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 11:20 | | Rockets defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point driving layup (Jalen Green assists) | 2-0 |
| 10:42 | | Amir Coffey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:39 | | Terance Mann offensive rebound | ||
| 10:26 | | +2 | Mason Plumlee makes two point driving layup (Terance Mann assists) | 2-2 |
| 10:11 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:08 | | Amen Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:02 | | Mason Plumlee defensive rebound | ||
| 9:53 | | +2 | Terance Mann makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Mason Plumlee assists) | 2-4 |
| 9:47 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:44 | | Mason Plumlee defensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | Terance Mann misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:24 | | Jock Landale misses two point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:22 | | Xavier Moon defensive rebound | ||
| 9:15 | | Mason Plumlee misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:13 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:06 | | +2 | Jock Landale makes two point cutting layup (Jalen Green assists) | 4-4 |
| 8:52 | | Xavier Moon misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:50 | | Jock Landale defensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point running layup | 6-4 |
| 8:21 | | Mason Plumlee turnover (lost ball) (Amen Thompson steals) | ||
| 8:08 | | Mason Plumlee blocks Cam Whitmore's two point driving reverse layup | ||
| 8:06 | | Mason Plumlee defensive rebound | ||
| 7:56 | | +2 | Amir Coffey makes two point pullup jump shot (Mason Plumlee assists) | 6-6 |
| 7:37 | | Jalen Green misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:33 | | Jock Landale offensive rebound | ||
| 7:30 | | +3 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 9-6 |
| 7:01 | | Xavier Moon misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:56 | | Mason Plumlee offensive rebound | ||
| 6:56 | | Mason Plumlee misses two point tip layup | ||
| 6:56 | | Mason Plumlee offensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | +2 | Mason Plumlee makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 9-8 |
| 6:37 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:35 | | Jock Landale offensive rebound | ||
| 6:30 | | Jalen Green misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:28 | | Jabari Smith Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point putback layup | 11-8 |
| 6:14 | | Xavier Moon misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:10 | | Mason Plumlee offensive rebound | ||
| 6:09 | | +2 | Mason Plumlee makes two point tip layup | 11-10 |
| 5:48 | | +3 | Jalen Green makes three point pullup jump shot (Jock Landale assists) | 14-10 |
| 5:48 | | Clippers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:33 | | Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:30 | | Cam Whitmore defensive rebound | ||
| 5:19 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:16 | | Xavier Moon defensive rebound | ||
| 5:04 | | Mason Plumlee misses two point turnaround bank hook shot | ||
| 5:02 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | +3 | Jalen Green makes three point jump shot (Aaron Holiday assists) | 17-10 |
| 4:30 | | +2 | Amir Coffey makes two point driving layup | 17-12 |
| 4:20 | | +3 | Jock Landale makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 20-12 |
| 4:06 | | +2 | Amir Coffey makes two point driving layup | 20-14 |
| 4:06 | | Aaron Holiday shooting foul (Amir Coffey draws the foul) | ||
| 4:06 | | +1 | Amir Coffey makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 20-15 |
| 3:54 | | Aaron Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Daniel Theis steals) | ||
| 3:47 | | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point floating jump shot (Amir Coffey assists) | 20-17 |
| 3:33 | | Aaron Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Xavier Moon steals) | ||
| 3:30 | | Kobe Brown misses two point running layup | ||
| 3:28 | | Jeff Green defensive rebound | ||
| 3:17 | | Jalen Green misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 3:14 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 3:00 | | Aaron Holiday misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 2:57 | | Kobe Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | Amir Coffey turnover (bad pass) (Aaron Holiday steals) | ||
| 2:44 | | Aaron Holiday misses two point running layup | ||
| 2:43 | | Cam Whitmore offensive rebound | ||
| 2:43 | | +2 | Cam Whitmore makes two point tip dunk | 22-17 |
| 2:25 | | Amen Thompson personal foul (Amir Coffey draws the foul) | ||
| 2:25 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:12 | | Brandon Boston Jr. misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:08 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:56 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 24-17 |
| 1:44 | | Amir Coffey misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:41 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:35 | | Brandon Boston Jr. shooting foul (Nate Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 1:35 | | Nate Williams misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:35 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:35 | | Nate Williams misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 1:32 | | Kobe Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 1:12 | | Kobe Brown misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 1:11 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 1:01 | | Daniel Theis blocks Nate Williams's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:58 | | Terance Mann defensive rebound | ||
| 0:55 | | +2 | Terance Mann makes two point running pullup jump shot | 24-19 |
| 0:44 | | Jeff Green turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:20 | | Xavier Moon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:17 | | Aaron Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 0:05 | | Aaron Holiday turnover (lost ball) (Kobe Brown steals) | ||
| 0:01 | | +2 | Kobe Brown makes two point cutting dunk (Brandon Boston Jr. assists) | 24-21 |
| 0:00 | | Jabari Smith Jr. misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:43 | | +3 | Jeff Green makes three point jump shot (Cam Whitmore assists) | 27-21 |
| 11:31 | | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point cutting dunk (Xavier Moon assists) | 27-23 |
| 11:27 | | Amen Thompson turnover (bad pass) (Brandon Boston Jr. steals) | ||
| 11:27 | | Amen Thompson shooting foul (Brandon Boston Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 11:27 | | Brandon Boston Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 11:27 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 11:27 | | +1 | Brandon Boston Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-24 |
| 11:17 | | Cam Whitmore turnover (lost ball) (Daniel Theis steals) | ||
| 11:09 | | Brandon Boston Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Amen Thompson steals) | ||
| 11:05 | | Terance Mann shooting foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:05 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-24 |
| 11:05 | | Amen Thompson misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 11:02 | | Terance Mann defensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | +3 | Xavier Moon makes three point pullup jump shot (Kobe Brown assists) | 28-27 |
| 10:36 | | +2 | Amen Thompson makes two point driving layup | 30-27 |
| 10:21 | | Brandon Boston Jr. turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:11 | | Amen Thompson turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:59 | | Xavier Moon misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:57 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:55 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Brandon Boston Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 9:48 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. personal foul (Terance Mann draws the foul) | ||
| 9:28 | | Cam Whitmore blocks Brandon Boston Jr.'s two point driving layup | ||
| 9:25 | | Nate Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Terance Mann steals) | ||
| 9:17 | | +2 | Terance Mann makes two point running finger roll layup | 30-29 |
| 8:57 | | Jeff Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:55 | | Nate Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 8:53 | | +2 | Nate Williams makes two point putback layup | 32-29 |
| 8:34 | | Xavier Moon misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:30 | | Daniel Theis offensive rebound | ||
| 8:30 | | Daniel Theis misses two point tip layup | ||
| 8:30 | | Reggie Bullock Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:29 | | Kobe Brown shooting foul (Cam Whitmore draws the foul) | ||
| 8:29 | | Cam Whitmore misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:29 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 8:29 | | +1 | Cam Whitmore makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-29 |
| 8:18 | | Cam Whitmore shooting foul (Mason Plumlee draws the foul) | ||
| 8:18 | | Mason Plumlee misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:18 | | Clippers offensive rebound | ||
| 8:18 | | +1 | Mason Plumlee makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-30 |
| 8:08 | | +3 | Cam Whitmore makes three point jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 36-30 |
| 7:52 | | Amen Thompson blocks Mason Plumlee's two point layup | ||
| 7:52 | | Nate Hinton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:42 | | +2 | Nate Williams makes two point driving reverse layup | 38-30 |
| 7:42 | | Clippers 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:29 | | Brandon Boston Jr. turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 7:20 | | Cam Whitmore misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:17 | | Amir Coffey defensive rebound | ||
| 6:58 | | +3 | Xavier Moon makes three point pullup jump shot | 38-33 |
| 6:35 | | Jeff Green misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 6:33 | | Nate Hinton offensive rebound | ||
| 6:32 | | +2 | Jeff Green makes two point cutting dunk (Nate Hinton assists) | 40-33 |
| 6:14 | | Nate Hinton shooting foul (Brandon Boston Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 6:14 | | +1 | Brandon Boston Jr. makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 40-34 |
| 6:14 | | +1 | Brandon Boston Jr. makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 40-35 |
| 5:59 | | Jump ball. Cam Whitmore vs. Brandon Boston Jr. (Jalen Green gains possession) | ||
| 5:53 | | Nate Hinton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:51 | | Jabari Smith Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 5:48 | | +2 | Jabari Smith Jr. makes two point reverse layup | 42-35 |
| 5:31 | | Brandon Boston Jr. misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:29 | | Jabari Smith Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 5:26 | | Cam Whitmore misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:24 | | Jeff Green offensive rebound | ||
| 5:19 | | +2 | Nate Hinton makes two point driving reverse layup (Jabari Smith Jr. assists) | 44-35 |
| 5:04 | | Jeff Green shooting foul (Mason Plumlee draws the foul) | ||
| 5:04 | | +1 | Mason Plumlee makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-36 |
| 5:04 | | +1 | Mason Plumlee makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-37 |
| 4:55 | | Xavier Moon personal foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 4:50 | | Jock Landale turnover (traveling) | ||
| 4:37 | | Brandon Boston Jr. turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 4:27 | | Jock Landale turnover (bad pass) (Brandon Boston Jr. steals) | ||
| 4:25 | | +2 | Brandon Boston Jr. makes two point running dunk | 44-39 |
| 4:15 | | Jeff Green misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:11 | | Mason Plumlee defensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 |