On March 7, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the Los Angeles Clippers (40-21) regained their victory. With 28 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and George had 21 points and seven rebounds, they led the team to a comeback in the final quarter as the Clippers came back from a 20-point deficit on the road to beat the Houston Rockets (27-35) 122-116. The Rockets' two-game winning streak was ended.
The Clippers had 28 points, six rebounds and seven assists, George had 21 points and seven rebounds, Harden had 21 points, five rebounds and seven assists, Mann had 15 points, Powell had 12 points and Plumlee had eight points and 11 rebounds. For the Rockets, Shin Kyung had 23 points, 19 rebounds and 14 assists, Smith had 19 points, Whitmore had 17 points, VanVleet had 15 points, four rebounds and eight assists, Green had 15 points and Brooks had 11 points.
After the opening 5 ties, Harden broke through and scored, the Rockets went outside, VanVleet and Smith each hit three points, and they led the team to a 10-2 mini-climax, and the Rockets led 15-9. Harden hit a 3-pointer to lead the team back to five points, Green and Whitmore each hit 3-pointers, and Shin Jing scored twice on a 11-0 run to give the Rockets a 27-14 lead. Powell and Hyland took turns scoring on breakaways, and the Clippers trailed 19-27 at the end of the first quarter.
The Clippers continued to chase down points at the start of the second quarter, at one point narrowing the gap to four points. Holiday answered with a three-pointer and Whitmore scored twice on a single, and they led the team to nine straight points to pull away again. The Rockets responded with a jumper and Whitmore, Holiday and VanVleet hitting three-pointers to give the Rockets a 20-point lead at 50-30 with 5:15 left before halftime. The Clippers switched to five after a timeout, and their outside touch picked up, Mann and Powell each hit three-pointers, and they went on a 12-2 run to put the gap between the two sides to 10 points. Brooks stepped up and answered with five points, and the Clippers scored on a breakaway to put the Clippers up by 13 points at 44-57 at halftime.
The Rockets' Whitmore had 12 first-half points and Shin had nine points, 13 rebounds and six assists; The Clippers scored 12 points and Harden had 10 points and four rebounds.
Smith opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, and Mann responded with a three-pointer to lead the team to another seven points, and the Clippers trailed 51-60. After a timeout, VanVleet hit a three-pointer to stabilize the situation, and the two teams then engaged in a tug-of-war, with the scores alternating between the scores, with the Rockets firmly holding the lead, and Landale hitting both free throws to give them an 81-70 lead. Ka, Theis, and Mann led the team to play an 8-1 counterattack wave to chase down again, Shin Jing hit a hook shot, Brooks scored another three points, and the Rockets led by six points at 86-80 at the end of the third quarter.
Shin scored four straight points to extend the lead at the start of the final quarter, and Harden stepped up his offense to score seven points, and then assisted Plumlee for an empty dunk to put the Clippers up 96-99. Whitmore responded with a jumper and hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner, leaving the two sides with only a two-point gap. After the Rockets took a timeout, Shin Jing hit a hook shot to stabilize the situation, and the two teams then traded several offenses, Powell and Xiaoka combined for five points, and the Clippers tied the game at 108 with 3:40 left in the fourth quarter. Shin made one of two free throws, George hit a three-pointer from the bottom corner, and a three-pointer from the small card gave the Clippers a 114-109 lead.
Smith stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer and Powell hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Clippers a three-point lead. Shin missed two crucial free throws, he then received a foul, Brooks received a technical foul, and George hit three free throws in a row to give the Clippers a 118-112 lead. The Rockets were powerless in the final minute and they lost 116-122.
Clippers starting lineup: Harden, Mann, George, Leonard, Zubac.
Rockets starting lineup: VanVleet, Green, Brooks, Smith, Shin Jing.