Three Takeaways from the Rockets’ Win Over the Clippers

The Houston Rockets were coming off a crucial 112-106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday and wanted to continue that momentum back at home on Tuesday night, taking on the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Rockets were able to accomplish that successfully with a 102-95 win over the Clippers in Toyota Center.

The Rockets improved to 33-19 on the season. Rockets forward Kevin Durant was the leading scorer with 26 points, and this was his 1000th 20-point game, the fourth most in NBA history behind LeBron James, Karl Malone, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Here are three takeaways from this Rockets victory:

High Level of Effort

Feb 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) attempts to score as Los Angeles Clippers guard Delano Banton (45) defends during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

A key reason why the Rockets lost badly in back-to-back home games last season was the lack of effort and intensity. That changed at OKC, and it was greatly improved through most of Tuesday’s game against the Clippers.

Rockets guard Amen Thompson returned for Houston in this game, and his speed and defensive effort paid dividends. Houston is one of the best shot-blocking teams in the NBA, and that showed up in this game. Even Kevin Durant was flying around and knocked an alley-oop attempt down.

Tari Eason showed his usual hustle, and Alperen Sengun continued to attack in the paint. The big improvement was guard Reed Sheppard, who had some great moments on defense. Sheppard fought for a rebound and was playing some real defense. He was holding his ground, getting to his spot, hustling, and got a steal and went all the way back for a bucket in the fourth.

The Rockets have been great in terms of offensive rebounding, and even though they lost that battle to the Clippers, it showed up in crucial moments. A couple of high-effort offensive rebounds set up KD three in the first. The Rockets’ rebounding by Sengun was crucial at the end to maintain the lead after Houston went cold shooting.

Getting the Right Shots

The Rockets offense was struggling mightily over the past week, and there was strong improvement in that in the win over OKC simply due to the shooting and more ball movement. That continued in this win.

Houston had a great shooting night overall and shot 50% (14/28) from three. The Rockets have been able to create open looks from three thanks to their improved offensive execution, and they hit them again in this one.

Jabari Smith Jr. had two triples to start the game on the right note, and he ended up with 13 points.

Durant was dealing with multiple high-level wing defenders throughout this game, but was still finding the midrange shot. Sengun was able to set him up for a couple. The ball movement was looking better even with Thompson on the court.

Additionally, the Rockets were able to force turnovers and created great scoring opportunities in transition. Although the Clippers forced more turnovers and fast break points in the stat sheet, the Rockets made use of their opportunities earlier.

Late Run to Close

The Rockets had just one turnover in the third quarter, which helped set up their 78-72 lead heading into the fourth. Houston eventually went up 13 at 85-72 thanks to a 13-2 run by Sengun and Thompson.

The Clippers went through poor shooting early in the period, and Sheppard started taking over towards the end as well. The second-year guard added 16 points and four 3-pointers off the bench besides six rebounds, two steals, and one block. His three in the last few minutes put the game away.

Thompson had 16 points of his own on 60% shooting, while Sengun was the second leading scorer with 22 points on 9/14 shooting, along with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Rockets will be back in action tomorrow night in Toyota Center with the second of the back-to-back games against the Clippers.