"Damn you ref, you burn in hell!” - Rockets sophomore's mom riled at referee after James Harden's game-winner vs Houston

James Harden helped end the Los Angeles Clippers’ six-game losing streak, which he did in style. Although he didn’t look like the vintage Harden, he played an excellent oiuting and led with a clutch play in the last seconds as the Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 104-100 on Friday night.

However, forward Tari Eason’s mother, Teroya Eason, wasn’t too happy about the Rockets’ loss. Expressing her frustration over the last-second play in the matchup, Eason took to X (formerly Twitter) and slammed the game officials.

With a laughing emoji, the Rockets’ sophomore’s mother posted a GIF that said:

“Damn you ref, you burn in hell.”

With 22 seconds left on the clock, the contest was tied at 100 each. However, James Harden made a dagger 3-pointer over Jae'Sean Tate and scored the free throw to make it 104-100. Harden finished the game with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Perhaps Tari Eason's mother disagreed with the call.

While the Clippers snapped their six-game losing streak, they also ended the Rockets’ six-game winning streak. Houston had a chance to hand the Clippers their seventh straight loss, but it went loose on both ends in the last minutes. The Clippers outscored the Rockets 12-1 during the matchup's final two minutes.

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Fred VanVleet credits James Harden, questions Rockets’ late game execution

The Houston Rockets signed Fred VanVleet instead of James Harden when the latter wanted out from Philadelphia. The Rockets haven’t regretted their decision a single bit, as they were on a six-game winning streak. However, on Friday, Harden got the best of the Rockets’ defense in the last seconds.

VanVleet didn’t shy away from giving Harden his due credit and praise for his game-winning play.

"That is what James has been doing for the last decade-plus," VanVleet said. "He made a big shot. But we did not have a bunch of good looks in our offense late. I have to find ways for us to get better shots down the stretch."

However, VanVleet also pointed out that the Rockets failed in late-game execution. With 2:16 left in the fourth quarter, Houston was leading by 99-94. However, since the lead, the team got careless on both ends of the floor.

VanVleet blamed himself and his team for the poor execution of plays in the final 90 seconds of the contest. The Rockets missed three field goals in the last six possessions and committed two costly turnovers.