Griffin Wong previews tonight’s game between Houston Rockets and the LA Clippers with his favorite player prop bets.
The Houston Rockets and LA Clippers could hardly be in more different positions entering their warmup for the Rockets’ Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Houston isn’t quite where it wants to be — 17-9 and in sixth place in the Western Conference after finishing second last season — but it’s only three games behind the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets in second, so getting the second seed again is hardly outside the realm of possibility. The Clippers, meanwhile, are 7-21, just half a game ahead of the Sacramento Kings in the conference’s cellar, and their unprotected first round pick belongs to the 26-3 Oklahoma City Thunder.
The teams’ second of four matchups this season begins at 10:30 p.m. ET tonight at the Intuit Dome. Ivica Zubac is out for LA after spraining his ankle on Saturday night, while the Rockets have no new injuries.
Houston is a 7.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook (-310 on the Moneyline), with the point total set at 219.5. The Clippers are +250 on the Moneyline. Below, I’ve detailed my three favorite prop bets for tonight’s contest.
Alperen Şengün 25+ Points (+127)
Though the Rockets have had a tough start to their six-game road trip that concludes on Christmas Day, losing three overtime games, Şengün hasn’t been the problem. Since November 30, the Turk has scored at least 25 in six of his eight games, though his overall scoring average is just 25.6 because it’s skewed by an eight-point performance in which he attempted just nine shots. Across that span, he ranks 13th in usage rate among the 91 players who average at least 30 minutes per game, an uptick of 3.9 percentage points over his usage through November 26.
LA, meanwhile, has had a nightmarish defensive season, ranking 26th in defensive rating after finishing third in that stat in 2024-25. There’s an aspect of luck to it — opponents have shot the fourth-highest percentage on wide-open threes, which isn’t sustainable — but allowing the eighth-highest shooting percentage in the restricted area won’t cut it, especially against a dominant post scorer like Şengün, who averages the league’s 10th-most makes per game (4.2) at the rim. Plus, the Clippers’ defense will likely be worse without Zubac, who has limited opponents to the eighth-lowest percentage within six feet among the 45 players who have played at least 20 games and guarded at least five such shots per game.
Kawhi Leonard 2+ Steals (+106)
For the first time in a full season since his 2014-15 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, Leonard is averaging two steals per game as he seeks to prove that he’s still one of the league’s premier two-way stars. His shot hasn’t been falling since he returned from an ankle sprain on November 23 (47-33-99 shooting splits), but he’s been sharp defensively, recording five multi-steal games among his 12, including five against Houston on December 11. It’s possible that he could gamble less for steals without Zubac behind him, but with Leonard, any gamble is a pretty good one.
For the Rockets, Fred VanVleet’s steady ball-handling has been sorely missed, as they rank fourth-to-last in opponent steals per game. Houston has used a combination of primary ball-handlers this season, and as a result, Şengün’s turnover rate is his highest since 2022-23 and Kevin Durant’s his highest since 2020-21. Leonard should spend much of his time guarding Durant — he marked him for 28.2 partial possessions in the teams’ first matchup and forced two turnovers — and this season, the Slim Reaper has had his highest lost-ball-to-bad-pass ratio since 2013-14, so any Durant turnovers are more likely to lead to Leonard steals.
Amen Thompson O12.5 Assists + Rebounds (-105)
Thompson arguably hasn’t taken the offensive leap that many expected of him — 17.5 points per game on 50-19-80 shooting splits probably isn’t enough to be the third option on a championship contender — but he’s made some strides as a playmaker while continuing to be an elite pound-for-pound rebounder, ranking 24th in potential assists per game. All in all, he’s had at least 13 rebounds/assists 12 times, including thrice in his last five games. He recorded eight boards and dished out nine dimes during the teams’ previous meeting.
LA has been solid on the glass, allowing the eighth-fewest boards per game, but that can be predominantly tied to Zubac. With the Croatian on the floor, the Clippers have posted a 50.6% rebounding percentage, which would rank 10th in the league, but without him, that collapses all the way to 46.7%, which would be the worst mark in basketball. LA’s lone healthy big, Brook Lopez, is averaging a career-low 8.1% rebounding percentage (which would rank 10th among qualified point guards). Plus, the Clippers will likely guard him with Kris Dunn, a good on-ball stopper who will force Thompson to pass but a subpar rebounder.