ClutchFans Game Thread: Clippers @ Rockets 12/11/2025

It was, but I'll chalk it up to rust after the long layoff. This upcoming road trip will be a good test to see how strong of a contender they are. Two games against the Nuggets and one against the Lakers. Plus another game vs the Clippers in which they can atone for this lousy showing and another B2B against a crappy team(the Kings) where they hopefully get over the hump and actually get a win.

Also, they're a few weeks away from Tari's return and hopefully not more than a month from DFS finally playing. That's gonna be a huge boost.

 

The plan is to hope other teams get injured? When our best player played 60 games last year and 50 every other year?

 

Obviously not, but they do happen. If Halliburton doesn't go down in Game 7, the Thunder might not be the defending champs right now. And don't get me started on how many injured opponents the Celtics were fortunate to face in 2024.

 

Yeah because I’m an idiot and don’t know how to record.

 

and if they dont we are just an inferior team with equally as likely chance to get injured

 

You would argue that Sochan is better than Holiday? Not sure if you love Sochan too much or underappreciate Holiday. The more offensive minded players the Spurs play, the worst the offense is with Sochan. Sochan is not good enough to be a playmaker on a contender. He is so bad off-ball that Sochan's "defender" just wrecks everything.

Caveat: I don't watch the Spurs much (them getting Wemby makes me sick, but at same time don't watch them without Wemby). It has just been horrendous when I've seen them.

 

Realistically the plan was just to be in the mix among top playoff teams, with a chance for the stars to align. We were never going to be the favorites with half the team in their early 20s, KD or no KD.

What we're really going to have to hope for is that Sengun and/or Amen become legitimate MVP contenders when they reach their mid/late 20s, and that OKC has to let enough players go and screws up enough draft picks that they're just a "normal" contender by the that time and not an absolute monster. So probably like 2-4 years from now is the best chance for the Rockets to be stronger contenders.

Right now we're at the fringe, and that's okay. At least we didn't pay too much to get to that level.

 

REED with the GAME WINNING play by pointing at the feet of Batum from the bench for the ref to see

 

Unsung hero of the game. The dude can win a game on the bench. Franchise player material confirmed.

 

It’s not the plan, but sports is often a war of attrition and the healthiest team often wins out. This is why I want Durant to have fewer minutes.

 

I was surprised that Adams wasn't played more. Zubac was eating Sengun and Jabari alive. Too strong for them.

 

No rockets game for another 3 days??



We will literally be 5 entire games back from multiple teams before we play our next game.

 

Zubac always seems to play well against us.

 

The schedule has been absolutely ****ed this season.

 

Only silver lining is it means we haven't had to play too many games with Tari and DFS out, and the minutes load on KD has been more spread out with more recovery time for him. If we can get healthy right when the schedule really starts to pick up maybe that will help make up for having a ton of B2Bs moving forward.

 

SFTA would foul out in the first quarter.

 

Everyone needs to get it into their thick skulls the light schedule has played right into the Rockets hands.

This team misses Tari's minutes more than most people realize.