Tag: Houston Rockets

Westbrook breaks out as Rockets rout Blazers, extend streak to eight

Russell Westbrook (28/13/10) had a breakout game as Houston (11-3) extended its winning streak to eight in Monday’s home win over Portland.

[jwplayer G001LQMR-z6KDnl0B]

If the Houston Rockets could win seven straight games without peak Russell Westbrook, just imagine what they might can do with the version that tallied 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists during Monday’s 132-108 home blowout (box score) over Portland (5-9).

It’s the eighth consecutive win for the Rockets (11-3), and their second in a row by 20+ points. Superstar guard James Harden scored a game-high 36 points on an extremely efficient 11-of-19 shooting perforance, while Clint Capela returned after a two-game medical absence and grabbed 20 rebounds for his fourth straight game.

Capela also contributed with four blocks, a season-high 22 points, and a team-leading plus/minus figure of +30 in his 35 minutes.

[lawrence-related id=18190,18135]

But the Rockets had already become accustomed during this streak to peak performances from the likes of Capela and Harden, who might have a realistic chance to average 40 points per game.

Thus, it was the contributions from Westbrook that were most eye-opening and took Monday’s showing to a new level.

Consider the fact the Rockets had won seven straight with Westbrook — a former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and future Hall of Famer — not even playing that well, by his career standards.

Of those seven prior games, the 31-year-old sat out two for planned maintenance on back-to-backs. In the five he did play, Westbrook shot just 40.0% overall and 18.5% on three-pointers, and the 6-foot-3 guard best known for averaging a triple-double in three straight seasons had tallied just 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

In the game before the winning streak began — a humiliating 129-100 beatdown in Miami on Sunday, Nov. 3 — Westbrook had just 10 points (3-of-11 shooting), 6 assists, and 4 rebounds, along with a historically bad plus/minus of -46 in just 26 minutes.

That trend changed in a big way during Monday’s win, with Westbrook grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists in 34 minutes. He also made three shots from three-point range, and his defense helped limit Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (and Westbrook’s personal rival) to just 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

Westbrook still struggled at times with his jump shot at 9-of-26 (34.6%) overall and 3-of-11 (27.3%) on three-pointers, but he was much more aggressive than in recent games at attacking the basket. That can clearly be seen in his heightened assist and rebound totals.

In all, the slash line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists was Westbrook’s third triple-double as a member of the Rockets, and his first since the fourth game of the season back on Oct. 30.

It was an especially perfect time for Westbrook’s breakout performance of November, since it came on his first bobblehead night at Toyota Center with his new team.

The competition for Westbrook and the Rockets stiffens later this week, with road games looming at Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. They’ll certainly need to play very well to extend their eight-game winning streak against a pair of perceived Western Conference contenders

Then again, perhaps the most impressive part of Houston’s current run is that it has largely taken place without Westbrook being in peak form. That’s why Monday’s blowout win over Portland — with Westbrook leading the way — was a reminder that the red-hot Rockets still have significant untapped potential.

In fact, the 24-point win over the Trail Blazers was reminiscent of something Westbrook himself said back at the team’s Media Day in late September about his new team with the Rockets.

“It’s going to be scary, that’s all I can tell you,” Westbrook said of his pairing with Harden in Houston. “It’s going to be scary. … Not for us.”

Just ask Lillard and the Trail Blazers.

[lawrence-related id=18135,18052]

Rockets unveil new City uniforms with nod to NASA, space history

With a NASA-inspired theme to celebrate Houston’s space history, the Rockets unveiled new “City Edition” jerseys for the 2019-20 season.

[jwplayer G001LQMR-z6KDnl0B]

The Houston Rockets revealed their fourth new uniform of the 2019-20 season at halftime of Monday’s home game versus Portland.

The NASA-inspired white “City Edition” uniform evokes Houston’s historical and present relationship with the U.S. space agency.

According to the team’s official website, highlights of the new uniform set include:

  • NASA font for typeface and numbers throughout the jersey
  • Traditional Astronaut ID Tag on the upper right chest
  • American flag on the belt line to celebrate U.S. national pride
  • Side panels of jersey are inspired by the Gemini Program, which helped NASA prepare for the Apollo moon landings
  • Vertical brand identifiers on the shorts to resemble a rocket launch

The team also posted a video to its social media channels to showcase the new uniform, which features “H-Town” across the chest.

With a “Space City Saturdays” theme, the City uniforms will be worn for every Saturday home and road game this season, debuting Nov. 30 when the Rockets face the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center. The jerseys can be purchased beginning Wednesday, Nov. 27 at the team store inside Toyota Center and at RocketsShop.com.

Unlike recent years, these City uniforms do not feature Chinese lettering — though that decision was made long before the franchise’s recent controversy involving China.

NASA, which is short for the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has extensive history in Houston tracing back to the establishment of the Johnson Space Center (then named the Manned Spacecraft Center) in 1961. It was a key support facility in NASA’s quest (ultimately successful) to put a man on the moon that decade.

Similar to the plan to wear the City uniforms each Saturday, the Rockets also have a special “Flashback Friday” theme for each Friday game this season. In that program, the current Rockets will wear retro-themed Classic uniforms as part of a 25-year anniversary celebration of the 1994-95 NBA championship squad. That promotion began with last Friday’s win over Indiana.

In total, Houston will have five sets of uniforms this season. The Rockets brought back their black “Statement” jerseys from last season, while the red “Icon” and white “Association” jerseys were significantly changed to incorporate a new font, modernized side panels, and the inclusion of black as a core color. Those three sets, along with the aforementioned Classic uniform, were released in June.

[lawrence-related id=18041,14645,17954,10487]

Clint Capela starts for Rockets after clearing concussion protocol

Houston Rockets starting center Clint Capela made a successful return Monday after missing two games while in the NBA’s concussion protocol.

[jwplayer G001LQMR-z6KDnl0B]

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela returned to the starting lineup in Monday’s home victory versus Portland after missing two games while going through the NBA’s concussion protocol.

Capela entered Monday averaging 13.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game. Prior to his absence, Capela had grabbed at least 20 rebounds in three consecutive games, which no Rockets player had previously done since Moses Malone in 1982.

It didn’t take long in Monday’s game for Capela to show that he was ready to return. A pair of alley-oop slams in the first quarter off passes from James Harden served as evidence.

Capela finished with 20 rebounds for a fourth straight game, which no Rockets player had done since Elvin Hayes in January 1971. He also scored a season-high 22 points and blocked four shots (box score).

Capela’s absence traced back to a collision with Los Angeles big man JaMychal Green in the fourth quarter of last Wednesday’s win over the Clippers. Though Capela felt dizzy on the court immediately after taking a forearm to his head, the 25-year-old center clarified that he did not feel any more symptoms over the next few days.

“Right when I got hit, I felt a little bit dizzy,” Capela said to reporters before Monday’s game. “I think I took a little bit too long to get back on my feet. That’s why they had to take me back to the back.”

Because the Rockets were in a stretch of three games in four days, the protocol made it practically impossible for the 6-foot-10 big man to return in time for either Friday’s home game against Indiana or Saturday’s game at Minnesota.

[lawrence-related id=18052,18021]

“I was in concussion protocol, so the first day I had to do biking,” Capela said of his recovery. “The next day I was doing a workout without contact. The third and fourth days, I did more contact stuff, one-on-one with Danuel House.”

House, a 6-foot-6 swingman, was going through his own rehab process after bruising his back in last Monday’s win at New Orleans.

Both House and Capela made successful returns to Houston’s lineup versus Portland as starters, at small forward and center, respectively. Each said he was happy to be back with the team, which finished Monday with an 11-3 record and winners of eight consecutive games.

[lawrence-related id=18123,17874,17732]

James Harden wins second straight Player of the Week award

After averaging nearly 45 points per game during a 4-0 week for the Rockets, James Harden won his second straight Player of the Week award.

For a second straight week, the NBA announced Houston Rockets guard James Harden as the Western Conference Player of the Week for games from Monday, Nov. 11 through Sunday, Nov. 17 (Week 4).

It is the 30-year-old’s second Player of the Week award of the 2019-20 season and the 24th of his career, all coming in Houston.

The Rockets went 4-0 on the week, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11 points per game. In those games, Harden averaged 44.8 points (45.8% shooting), 6.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 40.5 minutes per game. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15 three-pointers per game and made 40% of those, despite the extreme volume.

Harden has hit 63 overall three-pointers this season, marking the second-highest total through the first 13 games in NBA history.

In total, Harden has scored a total of 513 points in 480 minutes of play this season.  That is the highest total through the first 13 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain had 696 in 1962-63.

Harden is averaging 19.7 first-half points and 19.8 second-half points. His first-half average would tie him for 26th on the NBA’s scoring list this season, while his second-half average would rank him 24th.

Three of the four Houston wins came versus opponents with winning records, including a victory over Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers and followed up by wins on both ends of a weekend back-to-back against Indiana at home and then at Minnesota.

In those wins, Harden has also provided consistent value on the defensive end — with the Rockets regularly faring better with their former Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the floor.

Harden’s 39.5-point scoring average is 9.4 more than the second-ranked NBA player among qualifiers. By comparison, the league’s No. 2 scorer (Bradley Beal) and No. 19 scorer (Russell Westbrook) are separated by less than that, at 9.1 points.

Overall, the Rockets are 10-3 this season and winners of seven consecutive games, with Harden ranking first in the league in points (39.5) and sixth in assists (7.8). In last year’s 2018-19 campaign, he became the first player in NBA history to have averaged at least 35.0 points and 7.0 assists in a single season.

[lawrence-related id=18091,17965,17627]

Why James Harden could have a real chance to average 40 points

Rockets star James Harden is averaging 39.5 points through 13 games, and a closer look at the data suggests his scoring may get even better.

[jwplayer G001LQMR-z6KDnl0B]

Through 13 games of the 2019-20 season, Rockets star James Harden is averaging 39.5 points per game, including an astounding 43.0 points during Houston’s current seven-game winning streak.

Over the weekend, NBA legend and future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade said he wants to see Harden average 40 for the season.

On paper, it sounds almost impossible. After all, the only player in NBA history to average 40+ points in a season was Wilt Chamberlain, and it came nearly 60 years ago in the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. But upon looking at the numbers, Harden might have a real chance.

A year ago, Harden averaged 36.1 with the Rockets averaging 98.4 possessions per game — which was the NBA’s fourth-slowest pace. This year, after the offseason addition of Russell Westbrook, Houston is at the league’s third-highest pace at 106.00 possessions as of Monday — which represents a big increase in scoring opportunities.

Additionally, Harden’s current 39.5-point average comes on shooting percentages of 41.7% from the field and 33.2% from three-point range are the lowest of his eight seasons in Houston. If those revert closer to his career norms in Houston of 44.2% overall and 36.3% on three-pointers, that should lead to even more points.

In fact, we’ve already seen that dynamic start to play out. Harden’s subpar percentages largely reflect a shooting slump to begin the season, with Harden at 37.1% from the field and 21.5% on three-pointers through Houston’s first six games (3-3).

During the current seven-game winning streak, his percentages have jumped substantially to 44.9% overall and 41.4% on three-pointers.

In the latest episode of the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN‘s Kevin Pelton and Kevin Arnovitz explained why a closer look at the numbers suggests that Harden could pull it off.

“He can,” said Pelton, when asked by Windhorst whether Harden could average 40 points. “I’m not sure I would bet on it. Now I would bet on him having the highest-scoring season since Chamberlain and beating out that Jordan season [37.1 points in 1986-87].”

“When you look at his stats, it’s not a lot of small sample size theater at all, really. The biggest difference from last season, and the reason for his scoring increase… he’s playing the same number of minutes per game, he’s scoring pretty much the identical number of points per 100 possessions, it’s up from 48.2 to 48.5.”

Pelton continued:

The difference is almost entirely that Houston has gone from one of the slowest-paced teams in the league to the fourth-fastest pace [now third]. That’s something that tends to stabilize at the team level pretty quickly. The stylistic markers of how you play tend to stabilize more quickly than the results, the outcome-based things. I think pace will come down over the course of the season, we do traditionally see that, but we’re probably going to see Harden shoot better on threes than he has this year, where he’s at 33% so far, which would be the lowest mark of his NBA career. So, I don’t think we’re going to see a big decline in his points per game.

Arnovitz then jumped in:

To follow Kevin’s point, what’s really interesting here is generally speaking, one of the features of small sample size theater in November is when Brian asks the question of, ‘Hey, can this guy keep it up?’ it’s because they’ve been overperforming, or gotten a little lucky, or been way outside from a positive outlier standpoint. But, that’s the thing. He’s not even shooting all that well! Imagine if he becomes a little more proficient per possession. … You know, Aron Baynes is not going to continue to shoot 50% from three. With Harden, he hasn’t even been that proficient. That’s what’s crazy about it.

Arnovitz did note that Eric Gordon‘s downtown in efficiency and current six-week absence due to knee surgery is giving Harden additional opportunities. In theory, that could reduce Harden’s usage rate slightly in the second half of the season, assuming Gordon returns healthy around Christmas, as planned.

But for now, as long as Harden stays healthy, there’s little in the data to suggest a probable regression in his scoring. And with the Rockets (10-3) having won seven consecutive games and the team’s defense faring extremely well with Harden on the court, there’s little reason for head coach Mike D’Antoni to consider tinkering with the formula.

After all, it’s not as if Harden’s exceptional offensive workload is limiting his proficiency on the defensive end. Moreover, the performance is strongly correlated with wins for his team, including three victories in four days to end last week — all against opponents with winning records (Clippers, Pacers, Timberwolves).

Harden will have his next opportunity to build on the historic numbers during a home matchup versus Portland (5-8) on Monday, when the Rockets will attempt to win their eighth straight game.

[lawrence-related id=18091,17965,17801]

Rockets create open roster spot after waiving Ryan Anderson

The Houston Rockets created an open roster spot Monday by waiving Ryan Anderson, and it might ultimately go to rookie Chris Clemons.

[jwplayer G001LQMR-z6KDnl0B]

The Houston Rockets are waiving veteran big man Ryan Anderson, as first reported Monday by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

The Rockets signed the 31-year-old in September to a partially guaranteed deal, but it had become increasingly clear in recent weeks that Mike D’Antoni and the Houston coaching staff did not see Anderson as a viable option.

Despite multi-game absences by frontcourt starters Clint Capela (concussion) and Danuel House Jr. (back), Anderson still didn’t receive playing time last week. Instead, D’Antoni went with frontcourt prospects Isaiah Hartenstein and Gary Clark, who had previously played for Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

[lawrence-related id=18123,18052]

Any value Anderson had to the Rockets was in the form of insurance depth. But with Capela and House probable to return in Monday’s home game versus Portland, that became less important.

Overall, Anderson played in just two games during the current 2019-20 season. In those, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 2.5 points (28.5% shooting, 20.0% on three-pointers) and 3.5 rebounds in 7.0 minutes.

Anderson’s second stint in Houston was clearly less successful than his first. In 138 regular-season games (122 starts) during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, a younger Anderson averaged 11.6 points (39.6% on three-pointers) and 4.8 rebounds in 27.8 minutes per game. However, his defensive mobility declined as the years progressed.

Anderson’s exit does open up a roster spot for the Rockets, though it’s unclear if they have immediate plans to use it. Houston currently has 14 players under standard contracts, along with prospect guards Chris Clemons and Michael Frazier on Two-Way deals.

According to Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen, the roster spot could ultimately be used to keep Clemons with the team once he runs out of NBA service days on his Two-Way contract. Clemons, a 5-foot-9 rookie guard, scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in Saturday’s win over Minnesota.

[lawrence-related id=14378,13173]

Trail Blazers-Rockets odds: Houston favored at home

Previewing Monday’s Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Houston Rockets (10-3) entertain the Portland Trail Blazers (5-8) Monday night at Toyota Center. Tip-off is scheduled for just after 8 p.m. ET. We analyze the Trail Blazers-Rockets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Trail Blazers at Rockets: Key injuries

Trail Blazers

  • SG Carmelo Anthony (coach’s decision) out

Rockets

  • C Clint Capela (concussion) probable

Trail Blazers at Rockets: Odds, lines, picks, and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Rockets 123, Trail Blazers 113

Moneyline (ML)

The ROCKETS (-303) are 5-1 on the moneyline at home and 10-3 overall while Portland is 5-8 overall and 4-4 away from home.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Houston returns a profit of $3.60.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Houston started off the season 0-4 against the spread but has covered in six of nine games since, including all three at home. Portland has managed to stay close in away games and is 5-3 ATS on the road.

The ROCKETS (-7.5, -105) will seal this game late along with the cover.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER (-120) on the projected total of 229.5. It’s a low number given the average point totals for both sides. Also, Houston is on a seven-game winning streak averaging over 120 points per contest.

The Rockets love to push the pace and the Over is where we lean Monday night with a small wager.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]