James Harden has 21 points and moves into a tie for second on the NBA’s career 3-pointers list, but Houston leads wire-to-wire and hands the Clippers a 125-104 defeat.

James Harden scores 21 points and moves into a tie for the second most three-pointers all time, but he can't save the Clippers from a 125-104 loss.

In a rematch from Wednesday and in the opener of Emirates NBA Cup 2024 play for both teams, the Rockets won by an even larger margin in Friday's dominant 125-104 home victory (box score) over the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center.

Jabari Smith Jr. had a season-high 28 points with five 3-pointers and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 125-104 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers in their NBA Cup opener.

The Houston Rockets extended their winning streak to four games with a win over the L.A. Clippers in NBA Cup play Friday night.

The Houston Rockets hosted James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night as they were going for win No. 3 in a row. This was the first of two consecutive games against the Clippers as the two games will face off again Friday night in the first NBA Cup game of the season.