Takeaways: Paul George steals game late from KJ Martin, Rockets

The young and rebuilding Rockets (1-7) have now lost a season-high four straight games after Monday’s 95-93 loss (box score) in Los Angeles. Houston led by five with 1:27 left before allowing the Clippers (3-4) to outscore them 7-0 to end the game, punctuated by two difficult shots by Paul George in the final 40 seconds.

George scored a game-high 35 points for the Clippers on 15-of-26 shooting (57.7%) and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers (50.0%), and he also recorded 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 6 steals.

The hosts were somewhat short-handed with veterans Kawhi Leonard (right Kawhi Leonard (right knee injury management), John Wall (left knee injury management), and Robert Covington (health and safety protocols) all out on night two of a back-to-back, but the Rockets certainly won’t feel sorry for them since they were on a back-to-back, themselves, and badly in need of a victory. Unfortunately, they scored just three points in the game’s final four minutes and couldn’t take advantage.

With Jae’Sean Tate again sidelined by a right ankle injury, KJ Martin absorbed more minutes at the forward spots and scored a team-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%). Alperen Sengun had 14 points (50% FG) and 9 rebounds, while Jalen Green continued his recent shooting slump with 13 points on 4-of-17 shooting (23.5%).

Veteran big man Ivica Zubac had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks for the Clippers, including a key dunk late after Sengun was removed from the game by Rockets head coach Stephen Silas.

Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews from Crypto.com Arena. In what is effectively a home-and-home series, the Rockets and Clippers will meet again at Houston’s Toyota Center on Wednesday night, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central.