Tag: Houston Rockets

Russell Westbrook takes postgame swipe at Pat Beverley’s defense

After Wednesday’s win, Rockets star Russell Westbrook took a dig at the defense of longtime rival and current Clippers guard Pat Beverley.

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True to his “Mr. 94 Feet” nickname, Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley spent much of Wednesday night’s game hounding Houston Rockets star James Harden all over the basketball court.

It also wasn’t all that effective. Beverley’s aggressiveness caused him to foul out in just 27 minutes, while Harden led his team to a win by scoring a game-high 47 points on 12-of-26 shooting, including 7-of-13 (53.8%) on three-pointers. The 2018 MVP also had seven assists.

After the game ended, 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook — who now stars alongside Harden in the Houston backcourt — was eager to get in a dig at Beverley, his longtime rival. Westbrook said:

Pat Bev trick y’all man, like he play defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He’s just running around doing nothing. As you’ve seen what happened, 47. All that commotion to get 47.

Westbrook had 17 points himself in 30 foul-plagued minutes during the 102-93 Houston victory (box score).

The rivalry between the two point guards dates back to the 2013 playoffs, when Beverley — as a member of the Rockets, of all teams — went for the ball after the Thunder had called timeout and collided with Westbrook’s knee, all after the whistle had been blown. It led to a torn meniscus and ended Westbrook’s season early, and tension between the two has lingered for over six years since.

Now Westbrook is in Houston and Beverley is on one of the Rockets’ chief Western Conference rivals, with both 31-year-old guards still in search of their first NBA title.

Wednesday’s victory was the fifth straight overall for the Rockets (8-3), and it drops Beverley’s Clippers (7-4) a game behind in the West standings. If there’s lingering resentment, the rematch is barely over a week away — with Houston visiting Los Angeles next Friday, Nov. 22.

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Austin Rivers relishes father’s ejection as Rockets beat Clippers

Austin Rivers relished the role he played in getting his father, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, ejected late in Wednesday’s Rockets victory.

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Reserve guard Austin Rivers played a huge role in Wednesday’s Rockets victory over the Clippers in Houston by helping limit Los Angeles guard Lou Williams to an inefficient 8-of-22 shooting night.

On the other end of the court, Rivers contributed to the box score with 7 points in 34 minutes. He didn’t record an assist in the game, but he did have an unofficial one on the fourth-quarter ejection of his father, Doc Rivers, who coaches the Clippers.

With Doc coach miffed over a controversial call and yelling at the game officials, Austin laughed and repeatedly signaled for the officials to give his father a technical foul. Ultimately, they gave him two, and the younger Rivers smiled as his father left the court.

Immediately after the game, Austin clearly relished the moment:

I had to give him out of here. That made my night, though. I’m not gonna lie. We got the win, and my dad got thrown out. It’s good night.

Austin also had some fun with the situation on Twitter.

The Rockets (8-3) and Clippers (7-4) will actually meet once more before Thanksgiving, with the rematch set for next Friday, Nov. 22, in Los Angeles. That game will also be nationally televised on ESPN.

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Austin Rivers begged the refs to call a T on his dad and loved it when they did

What a father/son moment in Houston!

Well, this was awkward. And also highly amusing.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers was throwing a fit in the final minutes of his team’s loss to the Rockets on Wednesday night when his son, Houston guard Austin Rivers, stepped in and begged the refs to call a technical on his dad.

Now that is just cold.

But then refs did just that and ejected Doc Rivers from the game, which Austin Rivers, who was traded from the Clippers by his dad during the offseason, seemed to really love it.

Check out this special moment between a father and his son:

Austin Rivers then said after that it made his night:

And he acknowledged that the holidays might be a little rough:

This league!

Twitter loved it:

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James Harden says Rockets will win 2020 NBA championship

In a Wednesday interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, superstar guard James Harden picked his Houston Rockets to win the 2020 NBA title.

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It’s probably to be expected, but superstar guard James Harden is picking his Houston Rockets to win the 2020 NBA title.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Harden replied affirmatively when asked whether the Rockets will win the championship this season.

Correct. Let’s get it.

Smith and Harden spoke at Toyota Center on Wednesday prior to a nationally televised game between the Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers — viewed by many as Houston’s top competition in the Western Conference. Both teams entered the matchup of perceived title contenders at 7-3 on the young 2019-20 season.

In particular, Harden said he took pride in the Rockets being somewhat of an afterthought during the recent NBA offseason when compared to the Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.

Also in the interview, Harden discussed his integration with Russell Westbrook in Houston — including benefits on and off the court, and why the 30-year-old hasn’t really made any adjustments just yet.

To start the season, Harden is averaging a career-high 37.3 points in 35.7 minutes, along with 8.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.

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Eric Gordon undergoes right knee arthroscopy, likely out six weeks

The Houston Rockets announced Wednesday that Eric Gordon underwent right knee arthroscopy, performed by Dr. Walter Lowe at Memorial Hermann.

The Houston Rockets announced Wednesday that guard Eric Gordon will miss about six weeks after undergoing right knee arthroscopy.

Six weeks from Wednesday is Dec. 25, which is when the Rockets have a nationally televised game at Golden State as part of the NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate. If Gordon returns on the team’s projected timetable, that would mean he misses 20 games due to the procedure.

Gordon’s procedure was performed by Dr. Walter Lowe of Memorial Hermann. A world-renowned orthopedic surgeon, Lowe is medical director of the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Sports Medicine Institute in Houston, and he serves as team physician for both the Rockets and the NFL’s Houston Texans. According to his biography, Lowe specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of knee, shoulder, and elbow injuries and disorders.

The knee problem may have contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 NBA season. Through nine games, the 6-foot-3 guard has shot 30.9% overall and 28.4% from three-point range. Both figures are well below the 41.4% and 36.4% percentages logged by the 30-year-old during his first three seasons in Houston.

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“It will clean up some things,” head coach Mike D’Antoni said of Gordon’s procedure, via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. “It’s been bothering him actually since the middle of last year. I think he’s actually relieved that he can clean it up, get it going, so he can come back as strong as ever.”

Overall, Gordon averaged 10.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game during his injury-plagued start to the season.

Gordon’s absence will likely lead to additional minutes in the rotation for 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore, who has graded out very well in a limited sample of 15.5 minutes per game.

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Chris Paul says NBA teams will do ‘whatever they wanna do’ with trades

Thunder guard Chris Paul spoke on how he felt about being traded from Houston.

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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul is playing his 15th NBA season, so he’s keen on how teams operate and handle their business.

A nine-time All-Star, Paul recently shed some light on the business of NBA trades with Kevin Hart on the comedian’s YouTube show “Cold as Balls.” Paul also spoke on the trade that sent him from the Houston Rockets to the Thunder during the offseason. 

When Hart asked Paul about how trades go down, Paul stated:

“Every situation is different, but the team is gonna do whatever they wanna do. They’ll tell you one thing and do a smooth other thing.”

Hart then asked Paul about his feelings on being traded from the Rockets. Paul was traded in exchange for Russell Westbrook, two first-round draft picks and the rights to two first-round pick swaps in 2021 and 2025.

“The (general manager) in Houston, he don’t owe me nothin’,” Paul said. “You know what I mean? He may tell me one thing, but do another thing. But you just understand that that’s what it is.”

After the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs in May, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that general manager Daryl Morey had an “aggressive desire” to improve the team.

According to the report, the only player who was relatively untouchable was James Harden, as the likelihood of moving him was “extremely limited.”

Shortly after the ESPN report, Morey said that Houston would keep its “key people” for the 2019-20 season, per RealGM. 

With Paul elaborating on the trade, it shows how the league is a business. Teams, particularly playoff and title contenders, will do anything to improve. That’s why player empowerment is becoming increasingly more important, as players can feel encouraged to choose their own paths.

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Ben McLemore earns opportunity for Rockets with Gordon, House out

With wing players Eric Gordon and Danuel House Jr. injured, 26-year-old Ben McLemore is poised to earn more minutes for the Houston Rockets.

Given the sudden wave of injuries to wing players, Ben McLemore is poised to get his first start for the Houston Rockets in Wednesday’s nationally televised home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers.

The 26-year-old is likely to start at small forward, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni. That’s because Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday with a bruised back, while Eric Gordon could miss up to six weeks after undergoing a knee procedure.

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The proposed change would definitely make the Rockets smaller, with the 6-foot-3 McLemore three inches shorter than the 6-foot-6 House. Though McLemore is athletic, that lack of length wouldn’t seem to be ideal against the Clippers, who have a 6-foot-7 superstar at small forward in Kawhi Leonard.

Moreover, McLemore enters the game on something of a cold stretch, having made just 22.7% of his three-pointers over the last four games. For the year, he’s at 31.7% from behind the three-point arc, which is below the NBA average for wing players.

And yet, even with the inconsistent shooting results, the Rockets have clearly been a better team with him on the floor. That helps explain why McLemore, rather than a taller and more proven option in 35-year-old Thabo Sefolosha, is getting the start.

Both McLemore’s defensive rating of 103.1 and overall net rating of 13.5 are the best on the entire Houston roster among players who have averaged at least 15 minutes per game this season. His average plus/minus of +4.4 trails only House.

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In the first six games of the season, when Houston had the league’s second-worst net rating in defense, McLemore averaged 11.9 minutes per game. In the last four games, the Rockets have had the league’s second-best defensive rating — with McLemore averaging 20.9 minutes per game. Houston (7-3) won all four of those contests.

Last week, D’Antoni said this regarding the University of Kansas alum and former No. 7 pick of the 2013 NBA Draft:

Ben, I’m starting to really like him. … His defense and his smartness, and knowing how to [play] vertical and stay in plays … I’m starting to trust him. And he knows when he screws up, and that’s all you can ask. But he’s been good.

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Given his draft slot, McLemore was considered a relative bust with the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he averaged 8.8 points in 23.7 minutes per game over his first six NBA seasons. But unlike those two stops, there’s presumably the roster of a title contender around McLemore in Houston, and he’s largely taken advantage through the first 10 games of the 2019-20 season.

It remains to be seen if his early metrics will hold up, once exposed to more minutes. At some point, he likely needs to hit outside shots at a higher clip for those lofty ratings to be sustainable. But as of now, the Rockets have clearly been better with McLemore on the court — and that’s earned him a huge opportunity in the games ahead.

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Clippers-Rockets odds: LA Clippers slight road favorites

Previewing Wednesday’s Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets sports betting odds and lines, with NBA matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The Los Angeles Clippers (7-3) visit the Houston Rockets (7-3) Wednesday at Toyota Center for a 7:30 p.m. ET start. We analyze the Clippers-Rockets odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

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Clippers at Rockets: Key injuries

Clippers

  • SF Paul George (shoulder) questionable
  • SG Landry Shamet (ankle) out

Rockets

  • C Nene Hilario (hip) out
  • SG Eric Gordon (knee) out

Clippers 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 9:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Rockets 121, Clippers 115

Moneyline (ML)

The -110 line for the home ROCKETS is reasonable given the matchup. Houston is 3-1 at home this season and 5-0 against the Western Conference. Los Angeles is only 1-2 on the road.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the ROCKETS to win outright returns a profit of $9.09.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The ROCKETS (+1.5, -121) are the play here. A Houston cover (lose by no more than one point or win outright) returns a profit of $8.26.

Los Angeles is 1-2 against the spread on the road and covers the spread by an average of 2.2 points per game while Houston is 1-3 ATS at home and covers by 5.4 points per game. Houston has the ability to win this game outright.

The moneyline remains the more profitable play.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the OVER 231.5 (-110). There are just better choices in some of the other NBA games tonight. Expect the pace to be high, but it may come down to some free throws late in the fourth quarter.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Chris’s NBA betting record: 30-18

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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Report: Eric Gordon could miss up to six weeks after knee procedure

After a slow start to the season, Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon could reportedly miss up to six weeks due to a planned knee procedure.

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon may be looking at an extended absence, as first reported by The Athletic‘s Shams Charania.

Gordon, who has struggled to find a consistent role with the team so far this season, may need knee surgery that could sideline the 12-year veteran for as long as six weeks, and a month at minimum.

While there’s a chance the Indiana native can avoid it, it seems probable the ex-Hoosier will elect to have a clean-up operation as the team and player search for a solution to his early woes.

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed the injury news at Tuesday’s practice, and indicated that Gordon would, in fact, have the procedure.

If the procedure is greenlighted, it will further solidify fourth-year wing Danuel House Jr.’s role as the team’s starting small forward, one the 6-foot-6 wing has embraced in the wake of one of the worst starts to his teammate’s career.

Gordon, on the other hand, finds himself logging his worst three-point shooting (28.4%) since his inaugural season with the New Orleans then-Hornets, when he managed an abysmal 25% from beyond the arc. He has also put up the worst field goal percentage of his career in nine games so far this season, a mere 30.9%.

Whether or not knee problems are the culprit, it’s hard to imagine a player who has logged a career .372 percentage from three-point range and .426 overall from the floor to remain so cold over the course of a complete season, if fully healthy.

If the Rockets are going to seriously contend for an NBA title this season, they’ll need Gordon as close to that status as possible — and hitting more like he has over the course of his career.

While House has been a pleasant surprise in how well he has adapted to his new role, Houston will need at least some backups to step up, in order to compete against the league’s better teams.

With only Thabo Sefolosha currently available to spell the three in Gordon’s likely extended absence and House navigating injuries of his own, success in a stacked West is predicated on the Indiana product regaining at least some of his shooting touch, and in a hurry.

In the meantime, expect the organization to lean heavily on House when possible, with a big boost to Sefolosha’s minutes in the short-term as the team scrambles to shore up a banged-up wing rotation.

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Rockets list Danuel House Jr. as doubtful for Clippers game

Houston Rockets forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s showdown versus the Los Angeles Clippers with a bruised lower back,

Houston Rockets small forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful for Wednesday’s home game versus the Los Angeles Clippers due to a bruised back, head coach Mike D’Antoni said at Tuesday’s practice.

The 26-year-old suffered the injury during Monday’s victory at New Orleans when a Pelicans defender attempted to draw a charge. House was in the air on a drive to the basket and fell several feet, with his lower back taking the brunt of the impact.

House stayed in the game to shoot the ensuing free throws and played for much of the first half, but his back stiffened during the halftime break — when the team announced he would not return.

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The native Houstonian is scoring 11.8 points in 29.2 minutes per game this season, including a blistering 45.5% shooting clip on three-pointers. The defensive rating of 104.0 is among the best in Houston’s current rotation, and his 6-foot-6 frame offers valuable length, athleticism, and defensive versatility.

However, the Rockets (7-3) may catch a slight break with House’s probable absence in Wednesday’s showdown. That’s because the Clippers (7-3) are not expected to play superstar forward Paul George, with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reporting that George will make his 2019-20 season debut on Thursday in New Orleans, instead.

As of midday Tuesday, it was unclear if fellow star forward Kawhi Leonard would play, since it’s the first of a back-to-back sequence of games for the Clippers — who to this point have sat Leonard for one game of their back-to-backs this season.

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However, given the controversy (including a fine from the NBA) from last week’s decision to sit Leonard in an ESPN game and considering that Wednesday’s game in Houston is also on ESPN, Clippers coach Doc Rivers could play Leonard in this one as a gesture of good faith.

As for the Rockets, the team is likely to start 6-foot-3 guard Ben McLemore in House’s place. That’s because Eric Gordon, who as recently as last week started at forward over House, is now expected to miss six weeks after undergoing a medical procedure on his knee.

That knee problem may have contributed to Gordon’s much worse than expected start to the 2019-20 season.

With Gordon and House both presumably out, that’s likely to mean more minutes than usual in D’Antoni’s rotation for McLemore, as well as veteran forward Thabo Sefolosha and perhaps rookie guard Chris Clemons off the Houston bench.

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