The Houston Rockets continue their six-game road trip on Tuesday night, playing the first of two contest in Los Angeles over the next three days.
Before facing the Lakers on Christmas Day, the Rockets (17-9) square off with the struggling Clippers (7-21).
Houston squandered an 11-point halftime lead in Sunday’s overtime loss at Sacramento, 125-124 as 11.5-point favorites.
The Clippers snapped a five-game slide in Saturday’s 103-88 home rout of the Lakers. The Clips held their crosstown rivals to 6-of-38 shooting from 3-point range.
L.A. will be without C Ivica Zubac due to a left ankle sprain suffered in the victory over the Lakers. Zubac averages 15.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, the second straight season he is posting a double-double.
Let’s look at the Rockets vs. Clippers prediction and picks for Tuesday night’s tilt at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, tipping off at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
Rockets vs. Clippers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
The Clippers are one of two teams in the NBA that has covered nine or fewer games. Los Angeles has compiled a 9-19 against the spread, but beat the number in three of the last five contests.
Rockets vs. Clippers Over/Under, Spread
The Rockets enter this matchup as 7.5-point favorites, returning a 1.36x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Clippers are home underdogs with a 3.03x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Houston Rockets -7.5
- Over/Under: 220.5
- Game Winner Payout: Rockets 1.36x | Clippers 3.03x
(Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change)
Rockets vs. Clippers Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to get you set for Rockets vs. Clippers tonight, including insights on our Rockets vs. Clippers prediction.
- The Rockets squeezed past the Clippers, 115-113 on December 11. Los Angeles covered as 9-point underdogs, but lost for the fifth time in six matchups against Houston.
- In the past six games, Houston has failed to cash the number five times. The lone cover came in Saturday’s 115-101 triumph at Denver as three-point favorites.
- The Clippers are 0-2 both straight-up and against the spread as a home underdog. L.A. dropped both games by double-digits to Denver and Oklahoma City.
- Prior to Saturday’s blowout of the Lakers, the Clippers didn’t cover at Intuit Dome in nine consecutive contests.
- Each of Houston’s last three losses occurred in overtime against Sacramento, New Orleans, and Denver. The Rockets threw away a 25-point advantage in a 133-128 setback to the Pelicans last Thursday.
- The Clippers have won consecutive games once this season, as L.A. is 1-5 against the spread following a victory.
Rockets vs. Clippers Prediction
Here are three top Rockets vs. Clippers picks to target on Tuesday. Key PrizePicks player projections are headlined by three players: Clippers G James Harden, Rockets F Kevin Durant, and Rockets G/F Amen Thompson.
Clippers G James Harden vs. Rockets Projection: 24 Points
- Harden leads L.A. in scoring average for a second straight season, posting 25.8 ppg.
- In five of seven games this month, the 11-time All-Star has scored 22 or fewer points. In four of the past six games at Intuit Dome, he has not put up more than 25.
- In his previous matchup against his former team on December 11, Harden scored 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting
- The third pick of the 2009 draft averages less points per game at home (23.8) than on the road (27.6).
- In November, the Beard compiled nearly 30 ppg in 12 contests, but that number has dipped to 20.9 pp in seven December outings.
Rockets F Kevin Durant vs. Clippers Projection: 24.5 Points
- KD hasn’t skipped a beat since moving from Phoenix to Houston, leading the Rockets with 25.3 ppg.
- This is Durant’s lowest scoring average since the 2016-17 season with Golden State, posting 25.1 ppg.
- The worst shooting performance in December for the former Texas Longhorn came against the Clippers. He shot 5-of-14 from the floor for 16 points, although he knocked down a trio of 3-pointers.
- In six of the last seven away games, the second selection of the 2007 draft has topped the 25-point mark. The only time he was held below 25 points, he scored 24 points in Sunday’s loss to the Kings.
Rockets G/F Amen Thompson vs. Clippers Projection: 23.5 Pts+Rebs
- Thompson is having a career season, racking up 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
- The third-year pro has surpassed this projection in three of four games on this road trip. All three times he reached at least 24 points and rebounds all came in losses.
- In the previous matchup with the Clippers, Thompson converted 8-of-12 shots for 20 points, while snatching 9 rebounds.
- In three of four games against L.A. last season, the 22-year old picked up more than 24 points and rebounds.
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The Rockets look to turn things around tonight in Inglewood against the Clippers, trying to beat L.A. for the second time this month.
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