Who's Playing

Los Angeles Clippers @ Houston Rockets

Current Records: Los Angeles 6-6, Houston 8-4

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What to Know

The Rockets are 2-8 against the Clippers since February of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Houston Rockets will play host again on Friday to welcome the Los Angeles Clippers, where tip off is scheduled at 8:00 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. The Rockets' defense has only allowed 106.2 points per game this season, so the Clippers' offense will have their work cut out for them.

The Rockets will bounce into Friday's contest after (finally) beating the Clippers, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. The Rockets walked away with a 111-103 victory over the Clippers on Wednesday. The over/under was set at 214.5 points, so nice work oddsmakers; you were right on the money.

The Rockets' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Amen Thompson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Thompson a new career-high in threes (two).

The Rockets smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds (they're ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in nine consecutive matchups.

Houston pushed their record up to 8-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Los Angeles, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-6.

Friday's game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: The Rockets haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 12.2 turnovers per game. It's a different story for the Clippers, though, as they've been averaging 15.9. Given the Rockets' sizable advantage in that area, the Clippers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Looking ahead, the Rockets are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last four times they've played Los Angeles.

Odds

Houston is a 4.5-point favorite against Los Angeles, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line has drifted a bit towards the Rockets, as the game opened with the Rockets as a 2.5-point favorite.


The over/under is 215.5 points.

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Series History

Los Angeles has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Houston.

  • Nov 13, 2024 - Houston 111 vs. Los Angeles 103
  • Apr 14, 2024 - Houston 116 vs. Los Angeles 105
  • Mar 06, 2024 - Los Angeles 122 vs. Houston 116
  • Nov 17, 2023 - Los Angeles 106 vs. Houston 100
  • Jan 15, 2023 - Los Angeles 121 vs. Houston 100
  • Nov 14, 2022 - Los Angeles 122 vs. Houston 106
  • Nov 02, 2022 - Los Angeles 109 vs. Houston 101
  • Oct 31, 2022 - Los Angeles 95 vs. Houston 93
  • Mar 01, 2022 - Los Angeles 113 vs. Houston 100
  • Feb 27, 2022 - Los Angeles 99 vs. Houston 98