The LA Clippers lost to the Houston Rockets 115-113 last Thursday night, and if you want to understand the difference between a legitimate title contender and a dysfunctional situation hoping to compete, just look at the rebounding numbers.
Houston grabbed 22 offensive rebounds compared to LA's eight. The Rockets out-rebounded the Clippers 51-28 overall, marking LA's worst rebounding margin since January 2022.
Amen Thompson's key bucket for the Rockets summarized the entire season for LA
With the game tied 110-110 and 23 seconds remaining, the LA Clippers had a chance to get a defensive rebound and set up for the final possession.