HOUSTON — —The Clippers’ second unit fourth quarter comeback wasn’t enough as they fall to the Houston Rockets 111-103 on Wednesday night.
James Harden had 19 points for the Clippers, who lost a second straight game after winning four games in a row. He was 3 of 4 on 3-pointers in the first quarter but missed all four attempts after that. He moved within three of tying Ray Allen (2,973) for second-most career 3-pointers in NBA history.
Norman Powell added 13 points putting an end to his ten straight games of scoring 20 or more points.
The Clippers made a slight change to their starting lineup by replacing guard Terance Mann with veteran Kris Dunn. Both players played well in their new roles. Mann finished with 14 points, 7 rebounds with 2 steals and 2 blocks. Dunn added 11 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds.
Los Angeles trailed by as much as 19-points in the fourth quarter with the starters in the lineup. Coach Tyronn Lue had enough and went to the bench the rest of the way.
He went with backups Mann, Kobe Brown, Jordan Miller, Bones Hyland and Amir Coffey. This group made it a game down the stretch.
The Clippers used a 9-2 run to cut the lead to four with about 90 seconds remaining, but the Rockets center Alperen Sengun had a dunk followed by a monster block on the other end to secure Houston’s third straight victory.
The two teams will face-off again on Friday night in Houston.
