The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Houston to face the Rockets on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. ET with the Clippers on a two-game losing streak and Houston coming off one defeat in their last two games.
Records stand at Clippers 6-18 and Rockets 15-6, with this season marking the first matchup between the two teams.
Los Angeles enters with four players sidelined: Bradley Beal (left hip fracture), RayJ Dennis (two-way, G League), Derrick Jones Jr. (right knee sprain), and Chris Paul (not with team).
James Harden (26.8 ppg) and Kawhi Leonard (25.4 ppg) are expected to carry the offensive load, while Ivica Zubac (15.9 ppg, 11.6 rpg) anchors the interior both on scoring and rebounding.
Houston is missing Tari Eason (right oblique strain), Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle surgery), and Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair).
Alperen Sengun (23.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg) and Kevin Durant (25.3 ppg) will shoulder scoring duties, while Amen Thompson (17.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg) is critical as the primary playmaker.
Matchup implications hinge on depth: the Clippers will rely on John Collins (12.2 ppg) and Kris Dunn (7.7 ppg) to supplement Harden and Leonard’s scoring, while Houston’s bench, including Josh Okogie (6.5 ppg) and Steven Adams (6.6 ppg), must cover absent veterans to maintain tempo and defensive rotations.
Offensively, Houston has a team average of 120.9 points per game and 25.3 assists, while Los Angeles averages 111.6 points and 23.6 assists.
