The Los Angeles Clippers fell 102-95 to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday despite a hard fought effort and while it wasn't the end result the Clippers were looking for, the effort they gave throughout the game definitely gave them something to be positive about. 

Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 24 points with John Collins right behind with 17 points. Even though the Clippers had the defensive advantage when it came down to rebounds and steals, the Rockets simply had a better shooting night that the Clippers just could not match. 

Houston outshot Los Angeles 46% to 41% from the field and really took control of the game from three point range. 

The Rockets not only a massive 50% from beyond the arc, but it paired with one of the Clippers' worst three-point shooting games of the season as Los Angeles shot just 27% from three. When asked, Collins wasn't that upset with the execution, or lack thereof, that led to the Clippers shooting such a low mark. He simply chalked it up to fate.

"We got some good shots. Obviously, we can’t make every shot we take, but I thought we were confident and aggressive and the ball was moving around. Sometimes the shots don’t fall," Collins said to the media. 

Not only were the Rockets shooting at an incredibly efficient rate, they were shooting a high volume of threes as well. Houston went 14-28 from three point range to power their offense ahead and based on the way the game was going, the Rockets needed every three they could get to get around the Clippers. 

The Clippers battled hard throughout the game and actually ended the first half ahead by just one point. Considering how talented the Rockets have been this season, keeping up with them at any rate is a major plus for how the Clippers have been shaping up since the trade deadline. 

The only quarter that didn't end in a two-point-or-less differential was the third quarter, where the Rockets outscored the Clippers by seven. 

That third quarter featured a 10-4 run midway through that gave the Rockets the distance on the scoreboard they needed to run away with the game. 

The fight the Clippers showed on Tuesday is a great sign and it's something they'll need to see for the rest of the season and even if Tuesday ended in a loss, it's still a game the Clippers can build off going forward, which they proved the very next day with a 105-102 win over the Rockets on Wednesday. 

“It was a close game the entire time throughout. We made it real competitive the entire time and sometimes one run is all a team really needs to get their cushion," Collins said.