Tag: Garrison Mathews

Bleacher Report proposes John Wall, Christian Wood, Garrison Mathews trades for Rockets

John Wall to the Lakers? How about Christian Wood to Golden State? Here’s our analysis of Bleacher Report’s latest NBA trade proposals involving the Rockets and whether they make sense.

With the 2022 playoffs field narrowed from 16 teams to four, the NBA’s highly anticipated 2022 offseason is right around the corner. As the June 23 draft approaches, trade talks will pick up around the league.

As usual, general manager Rafael Stone and the Rockets should be among the more active teams. Though Houston is clearly in a rebuilding phase, there are a number of highly priced veterans (John Wall, Christian Wood, and Eric Gordon) who could be of interest to contending teams.

Best of all, each member of that trio is entering the final season of their existing contracts in 2022-23, which could make them more desirable on the trade market due to the lack of a long-term financial commitment.

With trade rumors swirling, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report recently proposed one offseason trade idea for each of the league’s 30 teams. Here’s what he came up with involving the Rockets, along with our verdicts on whether or not each is advisable for Stone to pursue. All of these proposals work within the NBA’s salary matching rules for trades.

2021-22 Rockets roster review, offseason outlook: Garrison Mathews

Garrison Mathews was dynamic in Houston’s seven-game winning streak, but his 3-point shot faded late in the year. Can the Rockets unlock “Garry Bird” again by the 2022-23 season?

(Editor’s note: We are starting our individual reviews of all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2021-22 season with the team. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)

Rockets Player: Garrison Mathews, 6-foot-5 wing, 25 years old

2021-22 statistics in Houston: 10.0 points (39.9% FG, 36.0% on 3-pointers), 2.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals in 26.3 minutes

Professional Experience: 3 NBA seasons

Contract Status: Under contract through 2024-25 season at approximately $2 million annually, but each year is non-guaranteed

Based on having the NBA’s worst record in 2020-21, the Rockets used their position at the front of the league’s waiver wire to pick up Mathews when he was released by a deep Boston team following training camp.

The move quickly paid dividends, with Mathews playing a key role in Houston’s historic seven-game winning streak in December and ultimately averaging more than 26 minutes per game on the season.

Jalen Green stays hot, scores career-high 33 points as Kings edge Rockets

Rockets guard Jalen Green now has five games in his young NBA career with 30+ points, which no other 2021 rookie has done more than twice. It still wasn’t quite enough to beat Sacramento.

Rookie guard Jalen Green scored a career-high 33 points on Friday versus Sacramento, representing his third straight game to score 30 or more points and the fifth of his young NBA career. By comparison, no other rookie from the 2021 draft class has done it more than twice.

However, despite Green’s outburst — including 6-of-14 on 3-pointers (42.9%) and 9-of-9 on free throws — it still wasn’t enough to win in a 122-117 home loss (box score) versus Sacramento. The Kings (28-49) were led by veteran forward Harrison Barnes, who scored a team-high 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting (62.5%) and 4-of-6 on 3-pointers (66.7%).

For the Rockets (20-58), the game was arguably more important for 2022 NBA draft odds. With the loss, which was briefly disrupted in the third quarter by a bizarre streaking incident, Houston now has at least two games of separation relative to all teams except Orlando (20-58).

Beyond Green, Houston’s other statistical standouts included Kevin Porter Jr. (27 points, 11 assists, 4 steals); Garrison Mathews (22 points, 6-of-10 on 3-pointers); and rookie Usman Garuba, who had 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots. The Rockets were +12 in Garuba’s career-high 30 minutes, and -17 in the 18 minutes that he did not play.

As expected, veterans Christian Wood, Eric Gordon, and Dennis Schroder remained sidelined by the Rockets to finish the 2021-22 season, while rookie Alperen Sengun (left leg bruise) missed a second straight game.

Scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction.

Report: Rockets to guarantee 2022-23 salaries of Garrison Mathews, KJ Martin

With young and productive rotation players at a premium, the Rockets have already decided to guarantee the salaries of Garrison Mathews and KJ Martin for the 2022-23 season.

To no surprise, the Houston Rockets have already decided to guarantee the near-minimum salaries of Garrison Mathews and KJ Martin for the 2022-23 NBA season, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.

“Mathews, 25, and Martin, 21, have proven themselves as role players who fit in the Rockets’ long-term rebuilding plans,” MacMahon tweeted.

With both players having team options for 2022-23 at near $2 million, it was a no-brainer for Houston to retain a pair of productive young players. Mathews entered Friday averaging 11.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 27.2 minutes, and his 36.7% clip on 3-pointers (on high volume, at 6.3 attempts per game) makes him a valuable reserve shooter.

Meanwhile, the high-flying Martin is averaging 8.9 points (53.3% FG, 35.9% on 3-pointers) and 3.9 rebounds in 20.6 minutes during his second season. He was taken in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft.

While both Martin, a forward, and Mathews, a wing, will be trade eligible in the 2022 NBA offseason, both are young enough to still have a potential role with the rebuilding Rockets as they aim to return to playoff contention — and hopefully well beyond — in the coming years.

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Clippers at Rockets: Tuesday’s lineups, injury reports, broadcast and stream info

Houston nearly ended its long losing streak on Sunday versus the Clippers, and they will get another shot Tuesday versus the same opponent and on the same Toyota Center court.

In the second of two straight games between the teams, the Houston Rockets host the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. If you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The Clippers have won three straight games to climb above .500, which currently gives them the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference playoff race. Houston, on the other hand, has lost nine consecutive contests.

However, the closest the Rockets have come to winning in that tough stretch was Sunday’s 99-98 loss to the Clippers at Toyota Center. It was Houston’s best defensive effort in weeks, but it was somewhat offset by an excessively cold shooting night by backcourt starters Jalen Green and Dennis Schroder, who shot a combined 8-of-33 (24.2%).

If the Rockets can sustain their defensive improvement from Sunday and see those guards return to form, that could be the ticket to finally ending their prolonged slide. To do that, though, they need to find ways to attack the rim more successfully than they did two days ago — when big man Ivica Zubac owned the paint with 15 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.

Reaction: Alperen Sengun impresses in limited time as Clippers edge Rockets

Houston’s defense improved versus the Clippers and key reserves (Alperen Sengun, KJ Martin, Garrison Mathews) played well, but it wasn’t quite enough to avoid a ninth straight loss.

Rookie big man Alperen Sengun impressed with 15 points in only 16 minutes on 5-of-8 shooting (62.5%), but it wasn’t enough for Houston in Sunday’s 99-98 home loss (box score) to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The young and rebuilding Rockets (15-45), who have the NBA’s worst defense on the 2021-22 season to date, had their best defensive effort in some time. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome a cold-shooting night from the starting backcourt of Dennis Schroder and Jalen Green.

Schroder had 11 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, but he shot just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from the field. Green scored 10 points but shot just 4-of-18 (22.2%), and one of those misses was a 3-pointer in the closing seconds that would have tied the game at Toyota Center.

Kevin Porter Jr., Houston’s usual starter at point guard, did not play due to a sprained left ankle. He is considered day-to-day moving forward.

The Clippers were led by point guard Reggie Jackson (26 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists) and big man Ivica Zubac (14 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocks). Those blocks included a rejection of Houston’s Christian Wood in the final 20 seconds on a driving attempt to tie the game.

Wood had 15 points (50.0% FG) and 7 rebounds in his 32 minutes, and he closed the game despite Sengun’s offense off the bench. The Rockets stayed competitive with defense and hot shooting from their second unit, with Sengun flanked by Garrison Mathews (17 points, 4-of-8 on 3-pointers) and Kenyon Martin (10 points, 3-of-3 on 3-pointers).

With the loss, Houston has lost nine straight games, which is their second-longest losing streak of the season. The Clippers (32-31) have won three straight. Scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction.

Player salaries for Houston Rockets entering 2022 NBA offseason

With the February 2022 trade deadline having passed, here’s who the Houston Rockets will have on their salary books entering the 2022 offseason.

With the 2021-22 trade deadline having passed, here’s an updated look at who the Houston Rockets and general manager Rafael Stone will have on their salary books entering the NBA’s 2022 offseason.

It was a quieter deadline than many expected for the Rockets, with the only transaction being the move of veteran center Daniel Theis to Boston for guard Dennis Schroder and big man Bruno Fernando.

Unlike Theis, who was under contract for three seasons, Schroder and Fernando each have contracts that expire after the 2021-22 season. Thus, the move gives Stone more flexibility in future offseasons.

On the other hand, the downside could be that since Schroder was signed last offseason to a one-year contract, the Rockets won’t have any Bird rights to help retain him. Should the 28-year-old play well enough to warrant consideration for a longer-term future in Houston, the Rockets would have to hope that their mid-level exception — or 120% of his current salary of $5.9 million — would be enough to do the trick.

The Rockets did free up a roster spot as part of their deadline moves, since guardsto DJ Augustin and Armoni Brooks were waived to make room for Schroder, Fernando, and Enes Freedom (included for salary reasons and immediately waived). The vacant spot was then used to sign rookie guard Daishen Nix to a standard four-year contract, which opened up a two-way contract slot that had previously belonged to Nix. As of Monday, Feb. 21, the Rockets had yet to re-issue that deal.

In the aftermath of those moves, here is an updated look at who will be on Houston’s roster entering the 2022 offseason. This list is sorted by annual salary, going from the most in 2021-22 to the least.

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Jalen Green stays hot, but Rockets outshot by Luke Kennard, Clippers

Rookie Jalen Green continued his run of strong efficiency in February, but it wasn’t nearly enough for Houston against Luke Kennard and the red-hot Clippers.

One night after a much stronger-than-expected performance in Phoenix, the young and road-weary Houston Rockets weren’t able to replicate that showing in Thursday’s 142-111 loss (box score) at Los Angeles. Luke Kennard scored 25 points off the bench and hit a stunning 8-of-9 from 3-point range (88.9%), which fueled an ambush by the Clippers.

The Clippers (30-31) enter the All-Star break at the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings and in position for a home game in the play-in tournament for the playoffs. The rebuilding Rockets (15-43), who were on night two of a back-to-back and a third road game in four nights, enter with seven straight losses and the West’s worst record.

Rookie guard Jalen Green continued his run of strong efficiency in February, scoring a team-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting (53.3%), including 5-of-10 on 3-pointers (50.0%). Second-year forward Jae’Sean Tate, who joins Green at Friday’s Rising Stars tournament for the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, added 19 points (70% FG) and 4 assists for Houston.

But they did not have nearly enough help or cumulative defense on a night when Clippers shot over 50% from the field and on 3-pointers.

Christian Wood returned to his usual spot as Houston’s starting center after a one-game illness absence and had 13 points (50.0% FG), 7 rebounds, and 2 steals in 25 minutes. He did not play in the fourth quarter due to the blowout. Kevin Porter Jr. missed a second straight game with his own illness, while veteran guard Eric Gordon sat out night two of a back-to-back for planned maintenance, as he has for most of this season.

Dennis Schroder (9 points, 9 assists) again started in place of Porter at point guard, while Garrison Mathews (8 points, 4 rebounds) took the starting wing spot that typically belongs to Gordon.

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Brandon Ingram leads Pelicans to convincing win over Christian Wood, Rockets

Brandon Ingram collected a game-high 33 points and 12 assists in leading New Orleans to a convincing road win Sunday over Christian Wood (22 points, 8 rebounds) and the Rockets.

Former All-Star Brandon Ingram was dominant Sunday with a game-high 33 points and 12 assists, leading to a 120-107 road victory (box score) for New Orleans at Toyota Center. With the win, the Pelicans (21-32) moved into possession of the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference, which is good for the final spot in the postseason play-in tournament.

The young and rebuilding Rockets (15-38), who remain last in the West, were led by 22 points (53.3% FG) and 8 rebounds from Christian Wood. Rookie guard Jalen Green scored an efficient 18 points for Houston on 50% shooting, while Garrison Mathews connected on 5-of-9 from 3-point range (55.6%) and scored 18 points off the bench.

The Rockets led by 11 early in the third quarter, but the Pelicans then outscored Houston by a commanding 38-17 margin over the remaining 10-plus minutes of the frame to take firm command.

Led by Kevin Porter Jr.’s 8 assists, Houston had 28 dimes as a team after recording only 15 in Friday’s blowout loss at San Antonio. But the improved ball movement and shooting couldn’t offset Ingram’s brilliance.

“He made some tough shots, obviously,” Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said of Ingram in postgame comments. “The ones he got in transition and the ones he got at the rim, those are the ones we don’t want him to get. Our help was on time. He was making the right plays.”

Veteran Rockets guard Eric Gordon, who is seen as a potential candidate to be moved before Thursday’s trade deadline for the 2021-22 NBA season, was a late scratch for Sunday’s game due to left heel soreness.

See below for highlights and postgame reaction from Sunday at Toyota Center. The Rockets and Pelicans will do battle again on Tuesday night in New Orleans for the second game of a home-and-home series.

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Steph Curry bests Kevin Porter Jr. in late duel as Warriors hold off Rockets

Kevin Porter Jr. had a strong game for the Rockets and hit big second-half shots, but it wasn’t enough versus the Warriors and Steph Curry, whose 21 fourth-quarter points were a career high.

This time, it didn’t take until the final buzzer for All-Star guard Steph Curry to bury the Houston Rockets. The future Hall of Famer scored a game-high 40 points with seven 3-pointers, including the most fourth-quarter points (21) in any regular-season game of Curry’s storied career, lifting Golden State to a 122-108 victory (box score).

The Warriors (38-13) won their sixth straight game to stay at No. 2 in the Western Conference, while the Rockets (14-36) lost an 11th straight home game at Toyota Center and remain in last place.

This game, however, was much more fun and competitive than many of Houston’s other home losses since Dec. 8. After trailing by 18 points with barely over two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Rockets fought back to within four on multiple occasions in the final quarter, but Curry’s barrage of treys kept them at arm’s length.

The key difference maker in Houston’s late comeback was Kevin Porter Jr. (17 points, 11 assists), who hit four 3-pointers in the second half and even got in some trash talk during a back-and-forth with Curry. After spending the first half largely as a facilitator, with 3 points and 8 assists, Porter took over as a scorer in the second half to keep things close.

Christian Wood led the Rockets with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but he took only one shot in the fourth quarter and also had a game-high 6 turnovers. Both Porter and Wood shot 5-of-9 on 3-pointers (55.6%).

Garrison Mathews added 11 points off the bench on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range (50.0%), including multiple big makes in the fourth quarter to keep the Rockets within striking distance. Rookie Josh Christopher (13 points, 5 assists) also fared very well as a reserve in 19 minutes.

Unfortunately, those showings were offset by a pair of subpar nights in the starting lineup by veteran Eric Gordon and rookie Jalen Green, who combined for 22 points on 6-of-22 shooting (27.3%). For Green, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, his recent slump continues — though he did score in double-figures for a second straight game.

Houston will wrap up its four-game homestand with Wednesday’s visit from Cleveland, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. Central. Until then, scroll on for highlights and postgame reaction from Monday night.

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