Tag: Houston Rockets

Luka Doncic joins James Harden, Russell Westbrook in historic streak

Luka Doncic, James Harden and Russell Westbrook are three of the most skilled playmakers in the NBA.

This current era of NBA basketball has produced players who have pushed the boundaries of what it means to be a playmaker.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is one of the most talented players in the league, and as a second-year player he has quickly elevated himself into the league’s upper echelon. On Sunday he joined the company of Houston Rockets guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook in a historic streak.

Doncic scored 41 points and tallied 10 assists in the Mavericks’ 137-123 win over Houston. Per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, Doncic joined Westbrook and Harden as the third active player to post four consecutive games of at least 30 points and 10 assists.

Since the 1983-84 season, Michael Jordan is the only other player to accomplish the feat.

As two of the best guards in the league, Harden and Westbrook are skilled at penetrating the lane and finding teammates. On top of that, both players always seem to find ways to score. Doncic has been compared to Harden in part because he uses a stepback jumper similar to Harden’s signature move.

Each of the three players are ranked in the top 15 of the league for assists per game, with Doncic being the highest at No. 2. Harden ranks seventh, and Westbrook ranks 15th.

The league’s leading scorer, Harden has put together two games this season where he’s had at least 30 points and 10 assists. Westbrook hasn’t posted any games with those numbers.

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Memphis sending NBA a message that they won’t buyout Andre Iguodala

The Memphis Grizzlies have one of the most intriguing pieces for a contender, but getting him there isn’t going to happen via a buyout.

Nobody would blame the Los Angeles Lakers if they weren’t too worried about adding to their team as they currently sit atop the National Basketball Association with a 14-2 record, riding their second seven-game winning streak of the young season. But being that they are trying to a win a championship, finding some more talent would be prudent. But if that talent is exiled Memphis Grizzlies forward Andre Iguodala, the evidence is mounting that would have to happen via trade.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently discussed the message the Grizzlies have been sending the Lakers and the rest of the NBA that they will need to trade for Iguodala if they want add him to the team.

Transcribed by Christian Rivas at Silver Screen and Roll:

“He’s still a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, and the message that Memphis has been delivering to the entire league, to teams who would love to get him, especially for the postseason. The Clippers, the Lakers, the Houston Rockets, you’re going to have to trade for him. We are not buying him out. He is not going to be on the free agent market. And I think the date of Dec. 15 will be an important day for Andre Iguodala. That is when the summer’s free agents, almost 40% of the players in the league are eligible to be traded. Now you can get more creative with deals. At 35 years old he is fine sitting right now, taking a look at what the marketplace is going to look like, preserving his body, but Iguodala is a player, who Memphis is telling people ‘you’re not going to get him in a contract buyout.’”

This latest update is just the latest in a steady stream of reports about Memphis not wanting to just give Iguodala away to a would-be contender. If they want him for a playoff run this season, it will cost a team an asset to get him. If it wasn’t clear enough before, it should be clearer now: the 2015 Finals MVP won’t be a gift for the league at the cost of the Grizzlies long-term plans.

Danuel House Jr. rejoins starting lineup Sunday versus Mavs

Danuel House Jr. returned to the Houston Rockets starting lineup Sunday versus Dallas after missing time due to a sore shoulder.

Danuel House Jr. is returning to the Houston Rockets lineup as the starter at small forward for Sunday’s home game versus Dallas.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed the news to reporters in his pregame media session early Sunday afternoon at Toyota Center.

House sat out Friday’s loss in Los Angeles against the Clippers with a sore left shoulder, which the 26-year-old injured Wednesday in Denver when he ran into a screen set by 284-pound big man Nikola Jokic.

In 12 games this year, the 6-foot-6 forward is averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game, and he’s been one of the team’s top three-point shooters at 44.6%. His defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best of any player in the current rotation, and he often spends time covering one of each opponent’s top perimeter scorers.

Though House’s start to the 2019-20 season has been very positive, durability has been a slight concern. Two weeks ago, the native Houstonian missed three games with a bruised back. Then, the shoulder issue occurred in just his second game back after the prior injury.

The hope for the Rockets is that the shoulder-related absence also gave House a few extra days to rest his back, potentially allowing him to put both minor injuries behind him as the team moves forward.

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Why the Rockets need Eric Gordon to unlock shots for James Harden

With James Harden limited to just 16 shot attempts in back-to-back Rockets losses, here’s how the eventual return of Eric Gordon could help.

Rockets GM Daryl Morey seems to be pointing at the eventual return of guard Eric Gordon as a critical development to help loosen opposing defenses for Houston superstar James Harden. There’s ample reason to believe in that relationship, too.

Morey, who is currently in Europe on a scouting trip, posted a nighttime image of an illuminated room with the caption: “Opposing coaches coming up with ways to stop [Harden] once [Gordon] comes back.”

Gordon recently had surgery on his right knee, and he’s expected to return in late December. The knee problem likely contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 season — with shooting figures of 30.9% overall and 28.4% on three-pointers. Both figures are well below the percentages of 41.4% and 36.4% from his first three seasons in Houston, and his average of 10.9 points per game is the lowest of any season in his 12-year career.

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The Rockets (11-5) have largely had a successful start to the new season, even with Gordon struggling or out injured. However, they’ve lost two straight games versus the Nuggets and Clippers this week in which the leading theme was an inability to get Harden enough shot attempts.

Through 16 games, Harden is currently scoring 38.3 points per game on remarkable efficiency, with a career-high 62.7% true shooting clip. It’s the best per-game total for any NBA player in the last 56 seasons.

Yet, in large part due to that dominance, opposing teams are coming up with new and almost unprecedented ways to combat Harden with numerous traps and double-teams to force the ball out of the his hands early and force any other Rockets player to beat them.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone compared it to defending Michael Jordan, viewed by many as the greatest player in basketball history. “Back in the day, they had the Jordan Rules,” Malone said Wednesday. “You have to have rules against James Harden. It’s the same caliber of player.”

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In Wednesday’s game against the Nuggets and Friday’s game against the Clippers, Harden was extremely efficient with combined averages of 32.0 points, 9.5 assists, and 7.5 rebounds per game on 53.1% overall shooting and 47.4% on three-pointers.

However, the raw scoring output was still more than six points below his season-long average, largely due to Harden only being able to get off 16 shots in each game. After the game, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) said the level of defensive attention was almost unprecedented.

The primary issue appears to be that not enough of Harden’s perimeter teammates command respect from opposing defenders. For example, Russell Westbrook and Ben McLemore — with the latter starting due to absences by Gordon and Danuel House Jr. (sore shoulder) — are connecting on just 22.0% and 31.5% from three-point range, respectively. Reserve guard Austin Rivers is shooting just 30.3% on three-pointers, including a woeful 17.6% over his last seven games.

On Friday’s final possession in Los Angeles with the Rockets trailing by one point in the closing seconds, the Clippers effectively dared Westbrook to beat them by sending his defender to trap Harden. Predictably, Westbrook bricked his open three-pointer, and the Rockets went on to lose the game.

P.J. Tucker does command respect with a 45.6% clip on three-pointers, but he’s just one player. Moreover, his inability to create offense off the dribble makes it easier for defenders to scramble back and recover against him.

That’s where Gordon, if healthy, could be so vital. Not only did Gordon shoot 40% from three-point range last postseason with the Rockets, but he also scored nearly 18 points per game because of his ability to both shoot and create.

It should be noted that the Nuggets and Clippers are both top 10 defenses. Most opponents on the regular-season schedule — even if they try similar schemes — won’t have the collective length or personnel to pull off what those teams did over the past two games. The looming return of House (44.6% on three-pointers) should help, as well.

But the last two games are a good reminder of what might be waiting for the Rockets in the Western Conference playoffs next spring. If Houston’s formula for success continues to rely heavily on Harden producing at historic levels, opponents are going to send incredible amounts of resources his way. To combat that, non-Harden Rockets need to make opposing defenses pay for effectively surrendering a four-on-three in order to double Harden.

There is some reason to believe in organic growth. Giving many of McLemore’s minutes to House should help, and Westbrook should bounce back to some degree. While he’s never been a good three-point shooter, his career mark of 30.5% is significantly better than his current 22% rate. Last year, Westbrook shook off a similarly cold start to his season to connect on nearly 33% of his three-pointers over the year’s second half.

But in the long run, a healthy Gordon might be most important of all, given his unique combination of shooting and playmaking relative to the rest of the current roster.

The Rockets’ offense (No. 3 in net rating) is certainly good enough to win games in the regular season without Gordon. After all, Houston has still won eight of its last 10 overall, even considering the 0-2 road trip.

However, the way both the Nuggets and Clippers won by denying shot attempts to Harden was a reminder of how critical Gordon still is to the Rockets’ ultimate ambition of an NBA championship next June.

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Harden’s 37 not enough as Rockets blow late lead at Clippers

James Harden had 37 points and 12 assists, but the Clippers went on a 10-2 run in Friday’s final minute to beat the Rockets, 122-119.

The Houston Rockets led by five points with under a minute remaining Friday night in Los Angeles, but the Clippers closed the game on a 10-2 run in the final minute to win a thriller, 122-119 (box score).

James Harden led the way for the Rockets with a game-high 37 points and 12 assists, but for a second consecutive game was limited to just 16 shot attempts. Sharpshooters Danuel House Jr. and Eric Gordon were out due to injury, and the Clippers routinely double-teamed Harden in an effort to make other Rockets beat them.

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Ultimately, the strategy paid off. Harden made 9-of-16 shots (56.3%) overall and 5-of-11 (45.5%) on three-pointers, but his teammates connected on just 10-of-32 (31.3%) from three-point range — despite numerous open looks off the Harden double-teams.

The Rockets (11-5) have now lost two consecutive games after their eight-game winning streak, with committed defensive efforts from the Nuggets and Clippers successfully forcing the ball out of Harden’s hands at critical moments of both games.

The Clippers were led in Friday’s victory by 26 points from former Rockets guard Lou Williams, with all coming in the second half. Those points included a crucial go-ahead three-pointer in the game’s final minute.

Russell Westbrook scored 22 points and Clint Capela had 17 points and 19 rebounds, but both had crucial miscues in the closing seconds. With Houston in possession of the ball with about 45 seconds left and leading by two points, Capela fumbled a pass from Westbrook that otherwise would likely have led to a dunk. Westbrook then didn’t get back in transition, and Williams hit his trey off a five-on-four sequence.

Westbrook also missed an open three-pointer of his own in the final 10 seconds, with the Rockets trailing by one. He made just one of his seven shots (14.3%) from behind the arc on Friday, and is now hovering at approximately 22% on the season.

Over his 12-year NBA career, Westbrook has shot 30.6% from three-point range. That’s below average, but it’s usually enough to keep defenders somewhat honest and not constantly helping off of him.

At current levels, though, quality defenses appear as if they’re daring Westbrook to beat them. Until he does, that’s likely to continue — and especially with Harden scoring at a historic pace.

The Rockets’ run of strong opponents continues Sunday, when Luka Doncic and the upstart Dallas Mavericks (10-5) visit Toyota Center. It’s an early afternoon tip-off at 2:30 p.m. local time in Houston.

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Danuel House Jr. sits out Friday, but likely to play Sunday

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. sat out Friday’s game in Los Angeles with a sore shoulder, but he appears likely to return Sunday.

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. sat out Friday’s road game versus the Los Angeles Clippers with left shoulder soreness, but he appears likely to play in Sunday’s home matchup versus Dallas.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni updated the status of House prior to Friday’s game at Staples Center. The Rockets (11-4) entered having won eight of their last nine games, with House as a starter and key contributor.

With House out, the Rockets started Ben McLemore at small forward, just as they did last week when House missed three games with a bruised back. At 6-foot-3, McLemore is considerably smaller than the 6-foot-6 House and offers less defensive versatility.

House’s latest short-term injury occurred during Wednesday’s second half in Denver, when he ran into a screen set by 284-pound Nikola Jokic.

House flexed his arm for several minutes on Houston’s bench, hoping he would be able to return to the game. However, he eventually left the court, and the team announced that he would not return.

In 12 games this year, House is averaging 11.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 28.9 minutes per game, and he’s been one of Houston’s top three-point shooters at 44.6%. His defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best of any player in the current Rockets rotation.

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Paul George praises value of Russell Westbrook as a teammate

Paul George, who played with Russell Westbrook for two years, isn’t surprised that Westbrook’s partnership with James Harden is succeeding.

Friday’s matchup between the Rockets and Clippers in Los Angeles will be the first time that former Thunder teammates Russell Westbrook and Paul George have played against one another since their offseason departures from Oklahoma City.

Though the Clippers and Rockets faced off last week in Houston and also in Hawaii during the preseason, George did not play in either game as he continued his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

When asked at Friday’s pregame shootaround about Westbrook’s new All-Star partnership in Houston with James Harden, George said he had no doubt the pairing would be successful.

His comments, via ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk:

I knew it was going to work. Russ is a winner. Russ wants to win, Russ does whatever it takes to win. My time playing with him, Russ doesn’t really have an ego. He puts his ego to the side.

He allowed me to be myself, he allowed me to be comfortable. And I had one of the best career [years] I had while playing alongside him. Russ is a heck of a teammate.

George makes a great point in the analogy to his own situation with Westbrook in Oklahoma City last season.

From the 2017-18 season to 2018-19, George took on a much larger role in the Thunder offense. His average shot attempts per game rose from 17 to 21, while his scoring and assists had corresponding jumps from 21.9 and 3.3 in 2017-18 to career-highs of 28.0 and 4.1 last year.

By contrast, Westbrook had fewer shot attempts and points, but had no complaints over his reduced usage — even though he was less than two years removed from being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).

It’s a similar story this year in Houston, where Westbrook’s average points and shot attempts are down slightly from a year ago. Harden leads the entire NBA with 38.4 points per game, and he’s clearly the top option for Mike D’Antoni. But Westbrook again doesn’t seem to mind, especially since the Rockets (11-4) are winning games at a high rate.

Back in July, George leveraged his way out of Oklahoma City and onto the Clippers, where he formed a new All-Star duo with reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Both are Southern California natives, as well.

The George trade also cleared the way for Westbrook’s move to Houston, which occurred less than a week later.

But in the immediate aftermath of the offseason blockbuster, George made it clear that his exit from the Thunder had nothing to do with his feelings for Westbrook.

Friday’s nationally televised game on ESPN between Westbrook’s Rockets and George’s Clippers tips off at 9:30 p.m. Central time.

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Celtics’ Danny Ainge is the master of trades in the NBA

There is no exact science to measuring the success of an NBA executive, though re-evaluating trades is common practice by basketball media.

There is no exact science to measuring the success of an NBA executive, though re-evaluating trades is common practice by basketball media.

As part of this, we looked at how many All-Stars seasons the traded players have had after the deal. The executive who did the best in this mark is Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge and it’s not even close.

Ainge has had 16 seasons of All-Star campaigns from players he has traded for during his tenure with the Celtics. Perhaps most notable is that he landed Kevin Garnett (who was an All-Star five times with Boston) without giving up any in return. Ray Allen also made three All-Star teams and the Celtics surrendered none in return.

Even more impressive: none of the players he has traded has ever made an All-Star team after leaving the franchise. That also includes offering Isaiah Thomas (who made an All-Star team with Boston but has not since) in a deal for superstar guard Kyrie Irving.

The only other active executive in the NBA who has netted more than two All-Star seasons without giving up any is Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations and general manager Neil Olshey – who acquired Chris Paul while he was working for the Clippers.

Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey has given up five All-Star seasons in exchange for seven. His trades have clearly been the most high-risk, high-reward of the executives around the league.

This study also looks at folks who were formerly executives for other teams (e.g. Mitch Kupchak with the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Charlotte Hornets) before arriving at their current destination.

Overall, the basketball exec who fared the worst in this research was Sam Presti. This is mostly from trading James Harden, who has been an All-Star seven years in a row since getting moved to the Rockets. It also includes two All-Star nods from Victor Oladipo, who was acquired in exchange for Paul George.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

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James Harden leads significant defensive turnaround for Rockets

Both film analysis and data suggest that James Harden is a key reason for the improvements on defense by the Houston Rockets this season.

After the first six games of the 2019-20 NBA season, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden was part of the team’s massive problem on the defensive end of the floor.

During their 3-3 start, the Rockets ranked second-to-last in the league in net defensive rating (116.2). On an individual level, Harden’s defensive rating of 115.1 was in the middle of the pack among Houston players registering at least 20 minutes per game.

In the nine games since, though? The Rockets (11-4) are 8-1, and their overall net defensive rating (101.0) is third-best in the NBA.

“Defensively, I think we’ve been pretty good,” Harden said Monday after the team’s eighth-straight victory. “That’s going to be the key for us.”

While all players have seen their defensive ratings surge based on the overall team improvement, Harden is at the top of the list when it comes to the proportional rate of his increase. His defensive rating of 96.7 over the last nine games trails only Clint Capela (96.3) among Rockets players who have averaged at least 20 minutes per game over that period.

Harden’s steals and blocks per game have risen from 0.8 and 0.3, respectively, over the first six games to 2.2 and 0.7 over the last nine. His defensive rebounds are up in the same period, from 3.3 per game to 5.9.

Defensive rebounding has been a big part of the team’s overall improvement on that end. In those first six games, the Rockets ranked No. 23 in the league in defensive rebounds (34.0). In the nine games since, Houston has surged to 38.1 rebounds per game, which ranks fourth in the league and has corresponded with their uptick in wins. Statistically, more than half of that increase could be attributed to Harden.

Considering Harden leads the league in scoring, it’s natural that his improvements on offense have been noticed most. After averaging 35.3 points on 37.1% shooting and 21.5% from three-point range during the team’s sluggish start, the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) has bumped those numbers to 40.4 points per game on 46.3% shooting and 42.6% from behind the three-point arc over his last nine games.

The 30-year-old has also won the last two Western Conference Player of the Week awards.

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But from a team perspective, it’s not the offense that has really changed. Over the first six games, Houston’s offensive rating of 111.3 ranked No. 5 overall. In the last nine games, their rating of 112.2 is No. 7 overall.

It’s the growth on defense that has corresponded with the dramatic improvement in team results, and Harden — even considering his extreme workload on offense — is leading the way.

Of this season’s top four NBA players (Harden, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Damian Lillard) by FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR metric, Harden has provided the most defensive value.

It’s unclear what sparked the defensive turnaround from Harden in particular. Earlier this month, head coach Mike D’Antoni cited subpar conditioning as a reason for the team’s slow start, adding that his team was “not in great shape” at the time.

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It’s possible that Harden’s fitness is improving as the season moves along. He may also feel compelled as the team’s leader to lead by example, especially after an awful showing on Nov. 3 in Miami — when the Rockets fell behind 59-18 after just 16 game minutes. That setback dropped their record to 3-3. It could be a combination of those and other things.

Whatever the reason, though, the storyline for the Rockets (11-4) this season and their improvement isn’t just about the elite offense. That’s been there all along. Rather, it’s superior defense that is primarily responsible for changing the team’s results. And it’s Harden — even with his historic usage rate of nearly 40% on offense — who is leading the Rockets’ growth on the other end of the floor, as well.

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