Houston Rockets News
12-5-14: The Houston Rockets have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference through the first five weeks of the season as the team has posted a 12-3 record. The Rockets started this week by heading back home the night after Thanksgiving to play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at home in Houston. During the contest the Rockets lost yet another player in Isaiah Canaan who was the team’s leading scorer when a sprained left ankle injury forced him to leave in the second quarter. Houston had an eight point lead after one quarter but the Clippers quickly came back and took over the contest after the Canaan injury. The Rockets seemed demoralized as the team did not score for the first seven minutes after the injury as Houston fell to Los Angeles by the score of 102-85. The Rockets were back at it the very next night in Milwaukee taking on the Milwaukee Bucks in a road contest for Houston. During the contest the Rockets big men dominated the board collecting 12 more rebounds which led to 13 more shooting opportunities for Houston. The Rockets, namely James Harden who led all scorers in the contest with 34 points, took full advantage of the extra opportunities as the team finished with a 51% shooting percentage in the game. The Bucks had no answer for Harden or the Rockets Trevor Ariza who had 10 rebounds in a 117-103 loss to Houston. Milwaukee was led by 19 points from Jabari Parker and 18 points from Ersan Ilyasova but it was not enough in the loss to the Rockets. The Rockets finished their week off with one of the toughest opponents they have faced this season when the team traveled back home to Houston to host the Memphis Grizzlies. During the contest Memphis finished with a better shooting percentage and knocked down more free throws then the Rockets which usually makes for a winning recipe. That was not the case in this contest as the Grizzlies were ice cold from beyond the arc shooting just 2-13 while Houston knocked down ten big three point shots. The Rockets also out-rebounded the Grizzlies in the contest which led to more shooting opportunities and a 105-96 victory over Memphis. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 14-4. Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team travels to Minnesota to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves before coming back home to play host to the Phoenix Suns. The Rockets will then finish their week off on the road as the team faces off with the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.
11-28-14: The Houston Rockets have one of the best records in the NBA for the 2014/2015 season as the team has impressively posted a 9-3 record to start the new campaign. The Rockets started this week by heading back home to host the Dallas Mavericks in Houston in a Western Conference home game. In the contest the red hot Dallas Mavericks were led by 17 points from Monta Ellis as Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 11 points on 4-18 shooting on the night. Houston on the other hand enjoyed a 32 point performance from James Harden and a 20 point outburst from Patrick Beverley in a 95-92 victory for the Rockets. Houston held on to win after shooting just 37% from the field by making up ground on the scoreboard knocking down 15 three pointers in the contest. Dallas shot 40% from the field but managed just 6 three point shots to go down in the loss to the Rockets. Houston looked to keep their winning ways going in their next contest when the team traveled home to host the New York Knicks. In the game the Knicks were led by just 14 points from Carmelo Anthony as the New York forward was the only player on the team to score in double digits. Houston meanwhile enjoyed a 36 point night from James Harden as the Rockets went on to beat the Knicks by the score of 91-86. Houston finished their week off by traveling back home to host the Sacramento Kings in a Western Conference showdown. During the game the Rockets offensive attack was led by 26 points from James Harden while three other Houston players picked up the slack with Dwight Howard out scoring in double figures in a Rockets 102-89 victory. The Kings DeMarcus Cousins led all scorers in the game with 29 points while collecting 17 rebounds but it was not enough in the loss to Houston. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 12-3. Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team traveled back home to host the Los Angeles Clippers before setting out on the road to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Rockets will then head home to finish off their week by hosting the Memphis Grizzlies in Houston.
11-21-14: The Houston Rockets have had one of the best starts in the franchise’s history and in the NBA this
season as the team has started the 2014/2015 campaign with a very strong 7-1 record in the first two
weeks. The Rockets started this week by hosting the NBA’s only winless team in the Philadelphia 76ers
at home in Houston. In the contest Philadelphia came out looking for their first victory by scoring 28
points in the first quarter taking a nine point lead but the team gave it all back before halftime.
Philadelphia took a five point lead with them into the fourth quarter before the Rockets James Harden,
who finished with 35 points, and Dwight Howard, who finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds, came
storming back to narrowly edge the Sixers by the score of 88-87 keeping Philadelphia winless. The
Rockets looked to keep their winning ways going in their next contest when they traveled to Oklahoma
City to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. In what was one of the lowest scoring games in the history
of the NBA the Thunder and Rockets only combined for 134 points on the night. The Thunder were led
by 18 points each from Lance Thomas and Reggie Jackson while Jackson also added 11 rebounds on the
night. Four different Rockets players scored in double digits in the game led by 19 points from James
Harden in a 69-65 victory for Houston. The Rockets took their three game winning streak with them into
Memphis to play the Grizzlies in a game that matched two of the best teams in the league against each
other head-to-head. In the contest Memphis had seven players score in double figures including a team
leading 18 points from Mike Conley as the Grizzlies went on to blow out the Rockets by the score of 119-
93. Houston has just three players that scored in double figures in the contest including Trevor Ariza,
Dwight Howard, and Patrick Beverely. James Harden, Houston’s best player, was held to just six points
on 1-8 shooting on the night in the loss for the Rockets. Houston finished their week off by traveling
back home to host the Los Angeles Lakers in a Western Conference showdown for both teams. In the
contest the Rockets were led by none other than James Harden as the Houston guard scored 24 points.
The Rockets did not take nearly the amount of shots in the contest as the Lakers did as Houston
attempted just 74 shot attempts for a 41% make percentage. Los Angeles also had a 41% make
percentage shooting on the night but attempted 91 shot attempts in a 98-92 victory for the Lakers. Kobe
Bryant led the team with 29 points while Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill each added a double-double in
the Lakers victory. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 9-3.
Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team stays home to host the Dallas Mavericks, New York
Knicks and the Sacramento Kings in Houston.
11-14-14: The Houston Rockets start to the 2014/2015 campaign could not have been scripted any better as the team started their season with a perfect 6-0 record. The Rockets started this week by hosting a fellow undefeated team at home in the Golden State Warriors. In the battle of the unbeaten Stephen Curry brought his A game as the guard led all scorers with 34 points in the contest while Andre Iguodala added 15 points in a 98-87 victory for the Warriors. Houston was led by 22 points from James Harden and 21 points from Isaiah Canaan but it wasn’t enough in Houston’s first loss of the season. Houston had a short week and finished said week on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves. James Harden led the way for the NBA’s best team in this contest with 23 points while Dwight Howard chipped in 22 points in an easy victory for the Rockets by the score of 113-101. The Timberwolves were led by 18 points from Corey Brewer and 15 points from Andrew Wiggins in the loss for Minnesota. When the week was all said and done the team finished with an overall record of 7-1. Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team hosts the Philadelphia 76ers before traveling out on the road to play the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies on the road. Houston will finish their schedule next week by hosting Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at home.
11-7-14: The Houston Rockets started their 2014/2015 season off last week by traveling to the Los Angeles Lakers
at Staples Center in a game where LA lost their draft lottery pick Julius Randle and the game to give the
Rockets their first win. The next night the Rockets traveled to Utah to play the Jazz on the road in a
game that also went Houston’s way for their second consecutive win. With the 2014/2015 season
entering its first full week the Rockets hosted the Boston Celtics in the home opener for Houston. In the
contest the Rockets James Harden and Terrence Jones were too much for Boston while Rajon Rondo
was held to just 4 points as the Celtics dropped the game by the score of 104-90 pushing the Rockets
record to a perfect 3-0. Houston then traveled to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers in a matchup
between an undefeated Houston team and a winless Sixers team. Philadelphia would not get their first
win of the season in the contest as James Harden proved to be too much to handle as the guard scored
35 points while no Sixer scored more than Tony Wroten’s 20 points in a 104-93 victory for the Rockets.
Houston then took their perfect record and their talents to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat on
the road. In the game Chris Bosh, Shawne Williams, and Dwayne Wade executed their plans offensively
for Miami but the team had no answer for Houston’s offensive attack. Dwight Howard and James
Harden combined for 51 points for Houston as the Rockets pushed their perfect record to 5-0 with a
108-91 victory over the Heat. Houston finished their week off by hosting the San Antonio Spurs at home.
In the contest San Antonio had no answer for Houston’s Dwight Howard as he scored 32 points and
added 16 rebounds in a game where all 15 Houston Rockets got into the contest. Meanwhile San
Antonio was led by Cory Joseph’s 18 points in a game that Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli did not play.
Houston went on to the win the game by the score of 98-81. When the week was all said and done the
team finished with an overall record of 6-0. Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team hosts the
Golden State Warriors at home before heading out on the road to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves
to finish their week.
10-31-14: The Houston Rockets tipped off the 2014-2015 season by facing off with the Los Angeles Lakers at home as the team looked to start the season off with a victory. Houston had a strong preseason posting a 6-2 record despite concerns that the team does not have enough depth at the guard position. Houston lost Jeremy Lin and others to free agency this summer. The Rockets tried many players in camp to replace Lin and others and were actually the busiest team on the final day of the preseason as they waived five players to trim their roster down to the league maximum 15 players. The Rockets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers at home to start the season and in the contest James Harden led the way in scoring with 32 points for Houston as the Rockets took down the Lakers 108-90 to start the season 1-0. Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, and Dwight Howard also chipped in with double digit scoring games in the victory for the Rockets. Houston then traveled to Utah to take on the Jazz in their second game of the week and went on to their second straight victory behind the Ariza and Howard duo leading the way offensively. Houston improved their record to 2-0 with the 104-93 victory over the Jazz. Get your Rockets tickets for next week as the team starts their home schedule off by hosting the Boston Celtics before heading back out on the road to play the Philadelphia 76ers and the Miami Heat. Houston will finish the week back at home with a game against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
10-29-14: With superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard back in tow, the Rockets will hope to waltz right back into the playoffs after a 54-win season last year. The season average for Rockets tickets is $228.77. This marks a 92.4% price increase from last season, when the Rockets had a $118.87 average at the Toyota Center. With the loss of Chandler Parsons and the trade of Jeremy Lin to the Lakers, the Rockets will have to find contributions from all around the roster to try to catch the Spurs in the Southwest division.
10-24-14: The Houston Rockets won 54 games last season under superstars James Harden and Dwight Howard, but also found support from Trevor Ariza and point guard Patrick Beverley. They would ultimately fall to the Trail Blazers in the First Round of the playoffs, but have started out strong in the preseason this year. They own a 5-2 record through seven postseason games.
10-15-14: The Houston Rockets got off to a strong start to their preseason schedule with three straight wins over Dallas, Memphis, and Phoenix respectively but are coming off a 117-98 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct 14. Next up on the Houston Rockets preseason schedule is a matchup with the Golden State Warriors this Sunday at the State Farm Arena, followed by three remaining preseason games with Miami, Orlando, and San Antonio before the Rockets kick off their regular season on Oct 28 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
10-8-14: The Houston Rockets started their preseason with a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, as Houston will get set to face the Memphis Grizzlies this Thursday at the Toyota Center. Houston will then host the Phoenix Suns on October 9, followed by remaining preseason meetings with teams such as the Pelicans, Warriors, Heat, Magic, and Spurs to finish out their preseason schedule. Houston has been knocking on the door the past couple seasons as a potential threat to the elite teams in the West and certainly have the firepower on offense to make run.
9-22-14: Daryl Morey made many bold moves this offseason. Where in this previous two seasons he was able to land James Harden and Dwight Howard, this time his plan backfired when he traded away Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin to sign Chris Bosh which ended in Bosh resigning in Miami. The Rockets were able to sign Trevor Ariza and they recently acquired veteran Jason Terry from the Kings. Morey hopes that teaming Harden and Howard with veterans and young athletic players will be enough to contend and the won’t need that third piece.
8-13-14: The Houston Rockets were definitely looking this offseason to pick up another big name player to add to James Harden and Dwight Howard. The Rockets parted with Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik, and Omir Cassipi via trade this offseason to free up cap space but were unable to persuade Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh to sign with them. However, they did acquire Trevor Ariza, Jeff Adrien, Joey Dorsey and Ish Smith to help fill loss of Chandler Parsons as well as a solid NBA draft, but the Rockets remain relevant but to see them as a threat to win the West is another story.
Houston Rockets 2014 Draft Overview
Round 1, Pick 25, Clint Capela, PF, Switzerland
Round 2, Pick 42, Nick Johnson, SG, Arizona
5-12-14: The Rockets had a chance to force a home Game 7 in their first-round series with the Portland Trail Blazers. Chandler Parsons made a layup with nine-tenths of a second remaining to take the lead in Game 6 at Portland. However, Damian Lillard made a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to knock Houston out of the playoffs. Dwight Howard had a very strong series against the Blazers as he led the team in rebounds, blocks and free-throw attempts. However, James Harden’s defense hurt the Rockets as they fell in six games to the Blazers. The Houston front office now looks to 2014-15 and tries to ready the roster for a long playoff run.
5-5-14: The Rockets looked a lot better this past week. They forced the Portland Trail Blazers to overtime twice in the three contests and went 2-1 overall. Omer Asik started in place of Terrence Jones in Game 3 in Portland, and he helped with the team’s rebounding. James Harden did not shoot efficiently, but he scored a game-high 37 points and Dwight Howard registered a double-double in Houston’s 121-116 overtime win. Then on Sunday, the teams played overtime again, but the Rockets could not make it two straight wins. However, the Rockets returned to Houston and won by 10 points in Game 5.
4-28-14: Game 1 ended with James Harden missing a difficult jump shot at the overtime buzzer. The shot would have sent the game into another overtime. Harden scored 27 points that evening, but that miss was his 20th of the night. Dwight Howard struggled from the free-throw line in Game 1, which allowed the Portland Trail Blazers to come back in the game. However, he scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in Game 1 and continued his strong play into Game 2. He totaled 25 points in the first half, but LaMarcus Aldridge was too much for the Rockets to handle as Houston dropped Game 2.
4-21-14: Although the Rockets had a .500 record in April, James Harden and Omer Asik both played very well. Harden’s 28 points per game in the month were the third-best in the NBA as he finished with a top-five scoring average during the 2013-14 season. Asik led the Western Conference in rebounding in April, and he was the game-high rebounder in five of the Rockets’ games that month. Asik played very well in the absence of Dwight Howard, who missed seven games in April due to an ankle injury. It appears that Howard is healthy for the playoffs, so Asik returns to a bench role.
4-16-14: Houston Rockets playoff tickets average $223 on the secondary market, which is 2nd in the western conference, and 5th overall. The regular season average was $118, meaning there is an 88% premium for the playoffs. The Rockets are locked in to the 4th seed and will face the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round.
4-7-14: The Rockets had a very difficult week as they faced three different playoff teams. Unfortunately, they were winless this past week. On Friday, the team announced that Patrick Beverley was out indefinitely with a torn meniscus in his right knee, but he did not require surgery. Therefore, it could be just a couple weeks before he returns. On Saturday, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Dwight Howard-less Rockets, 118-107. It is now Omer Asik’s time to shine, and he snagged a career-high 23 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss at Brooklyn. He then led all rebounders on Wednesday at Toronto, but that performance was in a loss as well.
4-1-14: The Rockets continue to play great, as they won all three of their games this past week to move their winning streak to five contests. This past week’s opponents were all from the Eastern Conference. On Saturday, James Harden scored a game-high 37 points as the Rockets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 118-111. Harden kept his hot streak going as he led all scorers in Monday’s contest at Time Warner Cable Arena, and the Rockets defeated the Charlotte Bobcats by 11 points that evening. On Thursday, Harden triple-doubled the Rockets to a blowout victory of the Philadelphia 76ers.
3-24-14: On Sunday, the Rockets could not hold on to their lead at Miami. Houston let the Heat outscore them by 11 points in the final quarter to give the Rockets their third consecutive loss. The news got worse after the game. Dwight Howard did not play on the second night of the back-to-back set. He still has not returned to play after getting a portion of a cyst removed from his left ankle. However, the Rockets have played well without him. Terrence Jones’ game-high 30 points on Monday led Houston to a 124-86 victory over the Utah Jazz. Then on Thursday, the Rockets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves by 23 points.
3-17-14: The Rockets will most likely not have a more difficult week the rest of this regular season. On Friday, the Rockets took on the Indiana Pacers, the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Rockets kept up their strong play to push their winning streak to four games as they blew out the Pacers, 112-86. Then, James Harden put up a game-high 41 points in Houston’s 118-113 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On Monday, the NBA announced that Harden was the Western Conference Player of the Week. Unfortunately, the hard schedule got to the Rockets as they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday and to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
3-10-14: The Rockets are looking to fight their way to the top of the Western Conference after another strong week. On Saturday, Terrence Jones’ 22 points and 10 rebounds led Houston to the 118-110 victory over the Detroit Pistons. Then on Monday, the NBA named James Harden the Western Conference Player of the Week. Patrick Beverley made five 3-pointers on Tuesday against the Miami Heat in the Rockets’ 106-103 win. Houston made it three straight victories on Wednesday when Dwight Howard received a video tribute from the Orlando Magic. Howard was booed and Patrick Beverley broke his nose that evening, but the Rockets beat the Magic, 101-89.
3-3-14: The Rockets finished their five-game road trip this past weekend. They won two of their final three games to go 3-2 away from home since the All-Star break. On Sunday in Phoenix, the Rockets got an important Patrick Beverley 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining to help get the 115-112 victory over the Suns. Then on Tuesday, James Harden had a fantastic performance to bring the Rockets another victory. He finished with a season-high 43 points as the Rockets beat the Kings, 129-103. Although Houston fell to the Clippers at the Staples Center on Wednesday, the Rockets have still been one of the league’s best teams in 2014.
2-24-14: On Friday, Terrence Jones shot very well and scored 14 points in the Rising Stars Challenge. Then on Sunday, James Harden started in place of Kobe Bryant for the Western Conference All-Star team and Dwight Howard came off the bench. Afterwards, the Rockets began a five-game road trip to the West Coast. The first stop was Dwight Howard’s return to the Staples Center. Howard’s 20 points and game-high 13 rebounds helped Houston get its eighth win in a row. Before the game on Thursday, the Rockets sent Aaron Brooks to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Jordan Hamilton. That evening at Oracle Arena, James Harden had a huge second half, but it was not enough as the Rockets fell to the Golden State Warriors in overtime, 102-99.
2-18-14: The Rockets are moving up those Western Conference standings, as they own the league’s longest current winning streak. With victories over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Washington Wizards, Houston made it seven consecutive wins, the team’s longest streak since 2012. Not only are the Rockets the hottest team in the league, but they also got back one of the best backup big men in the NBA. Omer Asik returned to the court in the Rockets’ win over the Bucks on Saturday. Then, after beating the Wolves by 18 points on Monday, the Rockets were led by James Harden on Wednesday against the Wizards. His game-high 35 points, including a game-winning lay-up with 0.7 seconds remaining, brought the Rockets the victory.
2-10-14: The Rockets had a very light week, and they took advantage of it. They played just two games, both of which were at home, and won them each by 14 points. On Saturday, Jeremy Lin triple-doubled Houston to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was surprisingly his first triple-double of his career and the first one for a Rocket in 364 days. James Harden, the last Houston player with a triple-double, chipped with a game-high 28 points in his return. Then on Wednesday, Dwight Howard scored a game-high 34 points on very efficient shooting in the Rockets’ win over the Phoenix Suns.
2-4-14: Friday night was Chandler Parsons’ night to shine, but unfortunately, his teammates did not do the same. After setting the NBA record with 10 made 3-pointers in the first half, Parsons scored a game-high 34 points, but the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Rockets, 88-87. Then on the next night, the Grizzlies completed the sweep of the home-and-home set with an 18-point victory. However, the Rockets surprisingly bounced back without James Harden, who sat out the next two games with a thumb injury. The Rockets returned home to beat the San Antonio Spurs and then defeated the Mavericks in Dallas.
1-27-14: The Rockets continued their longest homestand of the New Year, and they enjoyed a lot of success this past week. They faced the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings and defeated them by a combined 44 points. After Terrence Jones’ career-high 36 points helped the Rockets take down the Bucks on Saturday, Houston got its starting point guard back for Monday’s contest. Patrick Beverley returned from a 14-game absence to play against the Blazers on Monday. Each player who played double-digit minutes scored at least eight points that night for the Rockets en route to their 126-113 victory over Portland. Then on Wednesday, Dwight Howard, Chandler Parsons and Omri Casspi all had double-doubles in the Rockets’ drubbing of the Sacramento Kings.
1-20-14: Even with their NBA record-setting loss on Thursday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Rockets have played fairly well recently. At the beginning of 2014, they finished their homestand with a couple of victories before winning three of the games in their four-game road trip. They remain a top-10 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency, but are still in danger of opening the playoffs on the road. Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones combined to average 30 points and 20 rebounds per game over this most recent stretch, but the team is still looking for more consistency from their guards. Patrick Beverley, who is expected to return very soon, should help with that problem.
1-7-14: Dwight Howard led the way with 24 points and 18 rebounds as the Rockets rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. All five starters scored in double digits as the Rockets attempted 32 free throws in comparison to the Pelicans’ eight that night. However, after getting the victory over New Orleans, Houston suffered its third losing streak of at least two games this season. First, they lost by 31 at Oklahoma City, and then the Sacramento Kings won by four in Houston. James Harden scored a season-high 38 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Tuesday’s contest, but it was not enough to defeat the Kings.
12-30-13: The Rockets survived their five games in seven days with a 3-2 record. In addition, they won both of their games that were on the second night of back-to-backs. After the Pacers blew out the Rockets in Indiana on Friday, Houston bounced back without James Harden to defeat the Pistons in Detroit by 17 points, but lost Patrick Beverley to a broken hand. Then, the Rockets had difficulty guarding Dirk Nowitzki, as he scored 31 points en route to the Mavericks’ seven-point victory over the Rockets in Houston. However, Terrence Jones stepped up in the Houston victories on both Wednesday and Thursday to score at least 20 points in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
12-22-13: There was a lot going on with the Rockets over the last week. After many discussions about Omer Asik being traded before the team’s self-imposed deadline, Houston did not end up making a deal in time. Regarding the players who actually have been playing recently, the Rockets encountered a couple of minor injuries this week, but they may linger for longer than the team would like. Jeremy Lin is out with a sore back while James Harden has been dealing with a sprained left ankle. During this past week, the Rockets sandwiched their loss at Sacramento with victories over the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls.
12-13-13: The Rockets had a respectable week that ended with a 2-1 record. They beat the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic at home, but then dropped Thursday’s contest to the Trail Blazers in Portland. In each of those three games, Dwight Howard scored at least 20 points and grabbed at least 17 rebounds. It was the first time that he put together three consecutive games with those numbers in almost two years. This could be the year that Howard brings a team back to the NBA Finals. It will be difficult for the Rockets to do so in such a tough Western Conference, but James Harden is not a bad sidekick to have in pursuit of the title.
12-7-13: Surprisingly, Dwight Howard has not been an off-court distraction thus far in the 2013-14 season. Yet, it has been the other Rockets center that has been. Earlier this season, Omer Asik demanded to be traded, and the organization may in fact do that soon. In the meantime, the Rockets have been one of the better teams in the league, but Jeremy Lin’s knee injury has hurt them recently. After the Rockets defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Friday and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, they lost to the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns. James Harden remains one of the best scorers in the league, but he needs some more help for the Rockets to hold up until Lin returns.
11-28-13: The 11-5 Houston Rockets continue to play excellent basketball, including winning all three of their games this week against playoff level competition – and without superstar James Harden who missed all three games with a sore left foot. Jeremy Lin was starting in Harden’s place before he bruised his right knee in Houston’s Wednesday night over the Atlanta Hawks. Lin’s X-rays were negative and he isn’t expected to miss much time, if any.
11-22-13: Scoring points has proved to be no problem for the league-leading offense of the Houston Rockets. Stopping people from scoring? Yeah, that’s been a thing. Despite having three-time DPOY Dwight Howard manning the middle, the Rockets are struggling to play team defense have been exposed so far this year. Despite the atrocious defense, Houston isn’t exactly in a doom and gloom situation. After winning three of their last four against inferior opponents, the Rockets sit at 8-5 on the year. If Daryl Morey can flip Omer Asik into solid assets and Kevin McHale can get the team playing together, things will be fine in H-town.
11-15-13: Houston endured a few injuries in week three, as James Harden and Chandler Parsons both missed some time. Point guard Patrick Beverly returned from injury sooner than anyone thought, however, and helped the Rockets get to 6-4 in week three. Trade rumors involving big man Omer Asik continued to cloud the Rockets, but elite offensive ball via Jeremy Lin and James Harden paced the Rockets as they exited Thursday night with a big win over the New York Knicks.
11-8-13: Bringing in Dwight Howard made a lot of noise, but it’s also already paid off huge dividends. Howard has combined with fellow post man Omer Asik to dominate the glass for Houston, while the team has gotten off to a solid 4-2 start. James Harden and co. have been everything people expected them to be, but so far their defense has been lacking in spurts. Once the Rockets correct that, they could be borderline unstoppable.
11-1-13: Yes, here he is: Mr. Dwight Howard. He had a very nice preseason in leading the Rockets to a 6-1 record, but get ready for the criticism to begin sometime soon. There will be a huge microscope on Houston as this team is one of the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals. James Harden had a fantastic preseason, in which he shot better than 50 percent from both the field and 3-point territory. Howard is not the only newcomer to the Rockets this season: Omri Casspi, who formerly with the Cavaliers, is now in Houston and will add some size at the forward position.
10-18-13: The Houston Rockets lost their first preseason game to the New Orleans Pelicans 116-115, but have won their last three. James Harden leads the team with 21.0 points per game by actually scoring exactly 21 points in all four preseason games. The Rockets are keeping up with their high scoring ways from last season, yet to score less than 100 points in a game yet. The Rockets have three preseason games remaining, all with Southwest division rivals:
- Oct 21 vs Dallas
- Oct 24 at San Antonio
- Oct 25 at Memphis
8-23-13: My, oh my, what a difference a year makes. The Houston Rockets landed the ultimate free agent prize this summer when Dwight Howard committed to spending four years pretending to be committed to his new home. With two elite superstars and a strong surrounding cast, the Rockets moved into immediate contention in a crowded Western Conference.
The Rockets will open their home schedule on Wednesday, October 30th against the Charlotte Bobcats. A tough early season schedule will bring the Lakers and Clippers to Houston in back to back games on Thursday, November 7th and Saturday, November 9th, respectively. The Oklahoma City Thunder will visit Houston on Thursday, January 16th and once again on Friday, April 4th.
Key Home Games:
- October 30th – Charlotte Bobcats
- November 7th – L.A. Lakers
- November 29th – Brooklyn Nets
- December 18th – Chicago Bulls
- January 3rd – New York Knicks
7-5-13: Dwight Howard has decided to leave the Lakers and will take his talents to Houston. The deal can't be made official until July 10th so as of now it's not known whether he will part of a sign and trade or not.
Rockets 2013 Draft Summary
Round 2, Pick 4: PG Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
6-12-13: After a very interesting off-season last year, the Houston rockets may be in for another this July. With rumors circulating about Dwight Howard possibly signing with them as a free agent the rockets and their fans must be excited to build upon their 45 win season. The addition of James Harden immediately made the Rockets a legit playoff team. Now coach McHale and company are looking to take the next step and contend for the Western title. Omer Asik had a career year averaging a double-double but is probably better suited as a backup on a contending squad. Enter Dwight Howard?
2-19-13: The rockets are 6-4 in their last ten games and have climbed into the Western Conference playoff picture as the 8th seed. With elite play from James Harden and the emergence of Jeremy Lin continuing, the Rockets and their run and gun style have giving teams fits their 29-26 record is slightly misleading. An 18-8 record at home has overshadowed spotty road play as well as defense. Defense has been an issue however the Rockets do score 106 point per game, which is number one in the NBA. Conversely they are ranked 29th in points allowed and will have to correct this if they want to make any playoff noise. With the trading deadline approaching, expect the Rockets to be active.
11-26-12: The Rockets had what many consider to be a very interesting off season. With the excruciating addition of Jeremy Lin and the dramatic James Harden trade with the Thunder they sit at 6-7. Jeremy and the Rockets enjoyed a laugher against his former team, the New York Knicks last week, winning by 28 in Houston. The Rockets score 101 points per game; 4th best in the league. The Rockets have the Raptors and Thunder next on the schedule this week. This team should continue to progress and ride the wave of inspired play from Chandler Parsons.
