Nick Wright: Houston Rockets a "Better Team" than the LA Clippers

Fox Sports 1 analyst Nick Wright is notorious for his controversial takes, and his latest is no exception.

In a conversation with Colin Cowherd, Wright explained why he believes the Houston Rockets are a "better team" than the LA Clippers:

"I think they're a better team than the Clippers," he said. "I think they have more ways to beat you. I think if this ends up being a second-round matchup, Rockets - Clippers, that it's a really tough matchup for the Clippers."

Wright also said he's "not that worried" about Houston's lack of an interior rim defender because Ivica Zubac is LA's interior scorer.

There are a number of things to unpack here, but let's start with the numbers. LA and Houston split the 2019-2020 season series, and the first three matchups were decided by nine points or less. The most recent meeting, however, which took place in Houston on March 5, was a blowout in favor of the Clippers.

In that game, Zubac was dominant against Houston's new small-ball lineup, going for 17 points (6/6 FG, 5/6 FT) and 12 rebounds in just over 20 minutes of action. Montrezl Harrell looked strong against his former team as well, recording 19 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes. And on top of all that, JaMychal Green chipped in another 11 points and 6 boards in 24 minutes.

Altogether, that's a contribution of 47 points and 28 rebounds from three of LA's biggest bodies — and none of them were on the court for more than 24 minutes. Overall, the Clippers converted 69.7% of their looks in the paint, while the Rockets sank 53.1% of theirs.

LA went on to win by 15, but led by as many as 30 before garbage time kicked in late in the fourth quarter.

It's a small sample size, yes. But the Clippers' bigs — Zubac included —annihilated Houston's defensive front and did a fine job of limiting players not named Russell Westbrook at the rim.

Wright is correct in saying that Houston is a force to be reckoned with. James Harden and Westbrook are two of the top 10 scorers in the NBA, and they lead an offense that ranks second in the league. But what the Rockets don't have is a ton of two-way potential — and the Clippers can punish them for that.

LA is one of two teams to rank among the top five in both offensive rating and defensive rating, and that's not just because of the efforts of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Patrick Beverley, by all accounts, is a terrific two-way point guard. Lou Williams and Harrell are still the NBA's most potent pair off the bench. Marcus Morris and Reggie Jackson have both been high-impact players since joining the team after the trade deadline.

No matter which way you look at it, from top-to-bottom, the Clippers are one of the most complete teams in the league and were only just starting to show their true potential after the All-Star break.

Houston may be a tough out, but by no means are the Rockets a better team than the Clippers — and they certainly shouldn't be favored over LA to win the NBA title, as Wright says they should.

Check out Wright's full comments below, and let us know what you think of his stance.