In a matchup pitting one of the NBA’s hottest teams against perhaps its coldest, the Houston Rockets visit the Clippers on Friday night at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This match is also part of group play for the NBA’s 2023-24 in-season tournament.
The Rockets (6-3) enter with six straight wins, while the Clippers (3-7) have lost six consecutive contests and have yet to win since making a blockbuster trade for former Houston star James Harden.
But Houston’s recent surge came within the friendly home confines of Toyota Center. It remains to be seen whether Ime Udoka’s group can maintain its impressive form on the road, where the Rockets began the 2023-24 season at 0-2 before a seven-game homestand.
With expectations of championship contention entering this season, the Clippers will be heavily incentivized to get a win as they look to climb back up the Western Conference standings after that much slower-than-expected start. Los Angeles is also attempting to get off the schneid during in-season tournament play, where the Clippers are 0-2 in the West’s Group B and the Rockets are 1-0.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Friday, Nov. 17
- Time: 9:30 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (6-3)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Los Angeles Clippers (3-7)
- Guard: Russell Westbrook
- Guard: James Harden
- Forward: Paul George
- Forward: Kawhi Leonard
- Center: Ivica Zubac
Projected lineups are based on each team’s latest game.
Injury reports
Houston’s Nov. 17 injury report lists Amen Thompson (right ankle sprain), and Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) as out.
Cam Whitmore, Jermaine Samuels Jr., and Nate Hinton were all recalled to the Rockets after a brief stint with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.
The Clippers are listing Mason Plumlee (left MCL sprain) and Brandon Boston Jr. (left quadriceps tendinopathy) as out, while rookie Kobe Brown is on assignment in the G League.
Nov. 17 uniform choices
- Rockets: White Association Edition
- Clippers: Blue City Edition
