© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Amen Thompson Leads Rockets to Season Finale win vs. Clippers
Amen Thompson recorded his first career triple-double to lead the Houston Rockets to a season finale win over the Clippers.
The Houston Rockets have ended the 2023-24 season with a winning record. Sunday afternoon, the Rockets won their 41st game in a 116-105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. With the win, the Rockets finished the season 41-41, marking their first winning record since the 2019-20 campaign — James Harden's final year with the franchise.
The win also gave the Rockets a 19-game improvement from the previous year. They became the 10th team in league history to go from losing 60 or more games to a record of .500 or better the following season.
"You always feel better at being at .500 than having a losing record," coach Ime Udoka said. "Although we fell short of the goal [Play-In Tournament], a 19-game improvement is a big step for our guys. It is something to be proud of. Now, we have something to build on."
Apr 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) shoots ahead
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Amen Thompson had an impressive performance to close his rookie season. For the second consecutive game, Thompson reverted to his original position at point guard amid the absence of Fred VanVleet. He finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and three blocks inside the Crypto.com Arena. Thompson's play against the Clippers resulted in his first career triple-double.
Cam Whitmore added to the Rockets' production by scoring a team-best 21 points on 9 of 17 shooting, six rebounds and five assists in the win. Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 points and eight rebounds, while Jalen Green finished with 13 points.
It was a comeback victory for the Rockets, who trailed the Clippers 53-50 at the half. Terance Mann set an early tone for the short-handed Clippers by scoring 10 of his team-best 24 points during the first half. Xavier Moon also scored 10 points during the first 24 minutes. He finished with 14 points in the loss.
The Rockets outscored the Clippers 68-54 in the second half to secure their season finale victory. Boban Marjanovic came off the bench and scored a season-high 13 points and eight rebounds. Nate Williams added 13 points in 21 minutes as a reserve.
"To be done in April is not a good feeling," Udoka said. "For some of the young guys, it is a little bit of the norm, except for the fact that we were more competitive this year. But the guys who have won championships or played deep into the playoffs, it is not a good feeling to be done in April."
