The Houston Rockets returned to winning ways on Sunday night, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers 117-106 behind Jalen Green’s 31-point lead. Green wasn’t particularly efficient, shooting 9 of 20 from the field and 5 of 13 from deep, but the Rockets led early and were able to hold the lead late into the night despite Green’s inconsistent shooting.

The Rockets played without starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who was sidelined with a bruised knee, but Amen Thompson stepped in admirably, posting 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and a block 9-for-14 from the floor and 1-1 in 39 minutes played. 3 from the depths. He also had a poster dunk.

Dillon Brooks was also right and finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, as well as shooting 4-for-8 from distance. Jabari Smith Jr. contributed a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Alperen Sengun had a quiet night by his standards, scoring 11 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

With VanVleet out, we got some legitimate playing time from Aaron Holiday, who played 19 minutes and had 11 points and 3 assists on 3-for-6 shooting from distance. With Reed Sheppard still struggling to acclimate (0-for-3 shooting for 0 points), Holiday may have a few more minutes left in the future.

The Clippers played without James Harden but were led by Bones Hyland off the bench, who scored 22 points. They also got 21 and 12 from Ivica Zubac, who Sengun appeared to be struggling with.

The Rockets held LA to 44 percent shooting and outscored the Clips 50-33. In doing so, they returned to their formula of tight defense and solid team rebounding and are now 16-8 on the season. They currently sit third in a crowded Western Conference.

They will be back in action on Wednesday night in the midseason tournament. They will face the Golden State Warriors again at the Toyota Center, with the game airing on national television on TNT.

PS: Sorry I missed the game thread last night. Our insurance agent ended up being unavailable and there was a miscommunication.