Houston Rockets won 109-96 at the 2019-2020 NBA Pre-Season against Los Angeles Clippers held at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Houston did not play with Russell Westbrook, but checked out the condition with all of his major players including James Harden, Clint Capela, Eric Gordon and PJ Tucker. The Clippers were courted by all major players except Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Houston took the lead from the beginning. Harden and Capela scored double-digits in the second quarter. Houston was shaken by a brief reversal by the Clippers in the middle of the second quarter, but finished in the first half with 57-40 with Ben Mclemore's three-point shot and Harden's four-point play in the second half.
In the second half, Houston overwhelmed the Clippers with a strong attack. Houston, who took the lead throughout the second half of the non-George Clippers lineup, won the game with a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter. As the scores widened, both teams put in bench members, and the game ended with Houston's victory.
Houston were active with Harden scoring 37 points and 7 rebounds and 7 assists. It was only 28 minutes in the preseason, but it was enough time to show off. Three-point shots were four (4/14), and out of 37 goals, free throws reached 17 (17/20).
Capela also scored double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The Los Angeles Clippers scored the most points in the team, with Montrezl Harrell scoring 17 points.
Meanwhile, the pre-season match between Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers was highly anticipated by the duo matchup of Harden and Westbrook vs Leonard and George at the time of the announcement. But the Los Angeles Clippers' coach Doc Rivers declared a break for the preseason, Leonard and George, and their first fight was postponed to the regular season.
The first match between the two teams will take place on 14 November.