The Houston Rockets will visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome. Alperen Sengun is doubtful, and Fred VanVleet is questionable on the team's injury report. Sengun is dealing with lower back soreness, while VanVleet has right ankle soreness.

Here's everything we know about both players' injuries and playing statuses vs. the Clippers.

Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet injury status for Rockets-Clippers

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28), Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) and Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) sit on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center.
Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Sengun and VanVleet appeared on the Rockets' injury report after Sunday's 106-96 win over the Golden State Warriors. Both have appeared in the Rockets' previous two games. However, Ime Udoka's squad clinched the Western Conference's second seed following the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

A doubtful tag indicates Sengun is unlikely to play vs. the Clippers. While VanVleet will have a chance to suit up, the Rockets have little incentive to push their starting point guard through any injury with their playoff seeding solidified.

Sengun has averaged 19.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 49.6 percent shooting during his first All-Star season. VanVleet has averaged 12.2 points on 35/35/78 shooting splits with 4.9 assists and 1.0 turnovers per game over his last 14 appearances following a month-long absence due to an ankle injury.

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The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Jabari Smith is also questionable for Houston on Wednesday due to left groin soreness.

While Wednesday's game means little for the Rockets, it will be significant for Los Angeles. The Clippers are in a four-way tie with the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies for the West's fourth through seventh seeds with three games remaining. However, Tyronn Lue's squad sits in fourth place due to a tiebreaker.

All four teams are one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers in third and one ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves in eighth. If the season ended today, the Clippers would face the Nuggets in the 4-5 matchup before a likely second-round meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Clippers are among the NBA's hottest teams entering the playoffs. They've posted a 15-3 record over their last 18 games, ranking second in offense, first in defense and first in net rating (14.0).

Los Angeles will be on the second night of a back-to-back against Houston following Tuesday's 122-117 win over the Sacramento Kings.