Kawhi Leonard exploded for 19 fourth-quarter points, fueling a furious Clippers comeback after the Rockets squandered a 15-point lead.
The Rockets split another back-to-back Wednesday night with the Clippers, but this one is going to sit with them for a minute.
After grinding out a 105-95 win the night before, cleaning up second-half turnovers and surviving 16 giveaways, Houston came out Tuesday looking sharp and connected. They built a 15-point lead and looked fully in control before the All-Star break.
Then it unraveled with non-stop turnovers and an explosive final twelve from none other than Kawhi Leonard.
Houston jumped out 29-22 after one. Amen Thompson was surgical from the dunker spot, going 4-for-4 early, finishing through traffic and feasting on the attention Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun drew from double teams.
Jabari Smith Jr. had ten in the first on a personal heater, and the Rockets held Kawhi Leonard to just two points in the quarter while doubling him aggressively.
The Rockets carried that edge into the second. Reed Sheppard was fearless, going 5-of-9 from the floor, 4-of-8 from deep for 14 first-half points, and the only Rocket to appear in every game this season looked like he wanted to make a statement before the break.
Houston shot 56-percent in the half, won the glass 24-15, and had Smith, Thompson, and Sheppard all in double figures by intermission. Leonard had just four, allotting the Rockets a double-digit lead going into the break.
The third quarter shifted the tone. Kris Dunn caught fire, finishing with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 4-of-6 from three, and the Clippers ripped off a 10-0 run to cut it to three. Leonard started finding seams because Houston stopped doubling consistently. The lead shrank to 76-70 heading into the fourth.
The Clippers opened the final frame on a 22-4 extended run. Fastbreak points ballooned to 20 for L.A.- Houston had zero. Every Rockets turnover was another nail in the coffin- they finished with 21, and Durant alone had eight.
Leonard, who had eight points through three quarters, detonated in the fourth. He scored 19 in the period, finishing with 27 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and a relentless closing stretch that Houston couldn’t contain.
Houston did fight. Jae’Sean Tate scored back-to-back buckets to reclaim the lead at 93-91. Amen found Tari Eason for a game-tying three at 98. Sengun, playing limited minutes after taking a calf hit the night before, tied it at 102 with seven seconds left, splitting a pair at the line.
But Leonard spun into the paint, finished through contact, and completed the three-point play. That was the dagger.
Durant led Houston with 21 points, but the eight turnovers loomed. Smith added 16 and 12 rebounds. Sengun had 16, nine boards, and six assists in under 30 minutes. Sheppard chipped in 17 on 5-of-10 from deep. It was balanced scoring with six Rockets in double figures, but balance doesn’t erase late-game slippage.
Houston blew a 15-point lead and split the back-to-back. The Rockets will head into the break at 33-20 knowing exactly how thin the margin is when execution slips for even one quarter.
And knowing Kawhi only needs one.