Tag: Houston Rockets

DeMar DeRozan thinks James Harden could score 100 in a game

Spurs forward DeMar DeRozan says he thinks Rockets guard James Harden could score 100 points in a single NBA game, if he put his mind to it.

If Houston Rockets star James Harden is hot enough to score 60 points in just three quarters — as he did Saturday versus Atlanta — just imagine what might he could do at that efficiency over a full game.

Fellow NBA star DeMar DeRozan, who became a childhood friend of Harden when both players were growing up near Los Angeles, may have an idea. With Harden’s Rockets visiting DeRozan’s San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night, the four-time All-Star made quite a proclamation to San Antonio Express-News beat writer Jeff McDonald.

Speaking of Harden, who like DeRozan is now 30 years old, DeRozan said:

I’m pretty sure if he put his mind to it, he could score 100.

100 points, of course, stands as the all-time high for points in a single game by an NBA player — set by Wilt Chamberlain on March 2, 1962. The more modern record is 81 by Kobe Bryant on Jan. 22, 2006.

As wild as it might sound, DeRozan isn’t alone in his thinking. Former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose recently predicted that Harden would score 90 points in a game this season.

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Beyond just getting hot in a given game, there are some statistical reasons to believe Harden could pull it off. Consider that last year, Harden didn’t reach peak form until his legendary 32-game streak of scoring 30+ points, which began Dec. 13. Prior to that date, Harden averaged 30.0 points per game. From Dec. 13 onward, he averaged 38.7 points.

If Harden improves at a similar rate as the 2019-20 season progresses, there’s no telling what he might be able to do. Entering December, he’s already averaging a league-leading 38.9 points per game, which is even higher than his torrid stretch to finish last year. Should he improve at anything close to a similar rate, it would be silly to rule anything out.

Opponents reacted to Harden’s epic scoring run to begin the 2019-20 season with more frequent double teams, but the Rockets have recently had more success countering those — as we saw early versus Atlanta.

In turn, that might lead to more isolation opportunities for Harden in the games ahead. That certainly happened after halftime Saturday, when Harden scored 29 points in the third quarter alone.

Harden’s current career-high scoring mark is 61 points. He last set that in March against, of all teams, DeRozan and the Spurs. That could make for a fun matchup Tuesday in San Antonio, as far as scoring potential.

At the moment, the Spurs (7-14) rank No. 26 in defensive rating, while the Rockets (13-6) are No. 2 in offensive rating. Harden attempts more three-pointers than any other NBA player, and the Spurs’ current mark of 39.1% allowed on threes is second-worst in the league. Furthermore, Harden and the Rockets will enter the game on two days of rest.

There are no guarantees, but on paper, it certainly looks like a favorable matchup for the former Most Valuable Player (MVP). DeRozan obviously hopes that history won’t be made against his team, but it doesn’t sound as if he’d be shocked if it somehow was.

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Clint Capela to return Tuesday for Rockets, while House is doubtful

Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (illness) is likely to return Tuesday in San Antonio, while forward Danuel House Jr. is doubtful.

Rockets center Clint Capela is likely to return for Tuesday’s game at division rival San Antonio after missing Houston’s last two games with an illness, head coach Mike D’Antoni said at practice Monday.

However, forward Danuel House Jr. is likely to remain out with an illness of his own, which started a few days later. Thus, he hasn’t had the same recovery time. Capela missed both Wednesday’s win over Miami and Saturday’s blowout versus Atlanta, while House missed just the second game.

Though the Rockets have not indicated the nature of the illness for either player, House said Saturday in an Instagram story that he had the flu. D’Antoni said Monday that House would likely travel with the team, which could at least give him an opportunity to play.

The Rockets (13-6) are clear favorites over the Spurs (7-14), who entered Monday at No. 12 in the Western Conference standings. However, the Spurs do have upside, as evidenced by a 10-point home win last Friday over the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Los Angeles Clippers. Thus, Capela’s return is certainly a welcome development.

The Spurs could be without power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who is averaging 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season. The seven-time All-Star is dealing with a minor thigh injury.

In his sixth season, Capela is averaging 14.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game this year, and he’s on a historic rebounding tear with at least 19 boards in his last seven games played.

Prior to Capela’s current streak, the only NBA player to have at least 19 rebounds in seven straight games was rebounding legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, who last did it in the 1994-95 season.

The only player in Rockets franchise history to have posted averages of at least 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks per game in a full season was Hakeem Olajuwon, who did it 30 years ago in the 1989-90 season.

Meanwhile, House has been one of the team’s best shooters and wing defenders. The 6-foot-6 swingman averages 12.4 points in 29.7 minutes per game on 47.4% shooting overall and 44.4% from three-point range.

If House is out, former 2013 NBA Draft lottery pick Ben McLemore would again start at small forward. McLemore was excellent in House’s place during Saturday’s win over the Hawks, posting season-highs of 24 points, 13 rebounds, and six made three-pointers.

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Russell Westbrook, P.J. Tucker serve as Texans’ honorary captains

Rockets veterans Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker were honorary captains for the Houston Texans during Sunday’s primetime football game.

The NFL’s Houston Texans named Rockets starters Russell Westbrook and P.J. Tucker as honorary “Homefield Advantage Captains” for Sunday’s primetime football game versus the New England Patriots.

As part of their duties, Westbrook and Tucker led the Texans out of the NRG Stadium tunnel and onto the field before kickoff, With Tucker in a custom Texans jersey, they were greeted with cheers from the crowd of over 70,000 before settling in to watch the game from the sidelines.

The Texans (7-4) and Patriots (10-1) both entered Sunday with division leads, which made the matchup a potential playoff preview and quite attractive for the league’s lucrative Sunday primetime audience on NBC.

The Rockets did not have a game or practice Sunday and do not play again until Tuesday night in San Antonio, which made it an ideal time for Westbrook and Tucker to have some fun on their off day.

Both players were similarly supportive of Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros during their recently completed postseason, with Tucker enjoying quite a celebration at the Astros’ American League title clincher.

With any luck, the Rockets will have opportunities for the star-studded Astros and Texans to pay them back by supporting their own postseason run during next spring’s 2020 NBA playoffs.

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James Harden had a priceless reaction to getting pulled one point shy of his record

James Harden couldn’t believe it.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden didn’t bother hiding his disbelief on the bench on Saturday night.

The Rockets pulled Harden in the fourth quarter in a 158-111 win over the Atlanta Hawks after he’d scored 60 points in 31 minutes played. It was an incredible night, but it wasn’t a career night. Harden scored a career-best 61 points in New York in Jan. 2019. So when he realized he finished one point shy of his record, Harden was clearly displeased he didn’t get the chance to set a new high. The broadcast showed Harden throwing up his hands, staring at the Jumbotron and blankly staring at the court with a dropped jaw.

Sorry, James. Another night.

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Ben McLemore continues to excel for Rockets in starting role

With a key contract date looming, swingman Ben McLemore made a strong case in Saturday’s win about his value to the Houston Rockets.

Ben McLemore went into this past week knowing it was a potentially critical one for his longer-term future with the Houston Rockets.

Based on his contract, Sunday, Dec. 1 is the date in which he begins earning more money than the partial guarantee ($500,000) on his contract. In other words, since he can now theoretically be replaced by a veteran free agent without an additional financial penalty to the team, he must prove worthy of his roster spot solely on basketball merit.

In Saturday’s blowout win over the Hawks, the 26-year-old made quite a convincing case. In 34 minutes as the starting small forward, McLemore set season-highs across the board with 24 points (64.3% shooting, 54.5% on three-pointers), 13 rebounds, and six makes from three-point range.

For the season, McLemore’s three-point shooting percentage improved from 29.1% before Saturday’s game to a more respectable 31.6% after it.

It could be randomness due to a small sample size, but one fascinating aspect of McLemore’s 2019-20 season to date is how much more effective he’s been as a starter. In five games filling in for Danuel House Jr., McLemore is averaging 17.4 points (47.5% shooting, 40.0% on three-pointers) and 5.4 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game.

By contrast, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging just 4.9 points and 1.4 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game as a reserve, with shooting percentages of 27.4% overall and 25.0% from behind the free-point arc.

The University of Kansas product, who was drafted No. 7 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, told Houston Chronicle beat writer Jonathan Feigen that he wasn’t putting much stock in his starter versus reserve splits.

Before Saturday’s game, McLemore said:

I’m not reading into it … at all. I just try to play my game, keep it simple, do everything I need to do at a high level to help my team win games. It’s just staying ready, staying the course. Any time my name is getting called, I do the best I can.

For the season as a whole, McLemore has seemingly found ways to help the Rockets — even when his shots aren’t falling. His defensive rating of 104.4 and overall net rating of 14.5 are both the team’s best among regular rotation players to have averaged over 10 minutes per game.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni said Saturday that House and starting center Clint Capela, who each missed the Hawks game with illnesses, were trending well for potential returns in Houston’s next game on Tuesday in San Antonio. If that happens, McLemore would return to a bench role.

It remains to be seen if McLemore’s shooting numbers will bounce back as a reserve. But even if for some odd reason they don’t, he may still have value to the team as a fill-in starter for House, who has already missed five games with an assortment of injuries and ailments.

Assistant coach Elston Turner told The Athletic‘s Kelly Iko last week that he believed House’s aggressive and physical style as a defender contributed to his propensity for injury. Turner told Iko:

House is just a young guy with energy. He’s still trying to make his name in this league. He’s really good at blowing up situations, which we try to encourage, like dribble handoffs and pin-downs. He’ll run through it and not even let them hand the ball off.

“He’s good at it; that’s why he stays hurt all the time,” Turner said, chuckling to himself.

Besides his current illness, House has suffered minor injuries to his back, shoulder, and ankle over the season’s first 19 games.

There’s probably a small-sample-size component to both House’s absences and McLemore’s subpar splits as a reserve. But even if for some reason there isn’t, then McLemore has still presented the Rockets with legitimate reasons to keep him around as an insurance policy at small forward. That’s especially significant with guard Eric Gordon still expected to miss several more weeks due to knee surgery.

Entering the week, the Rockets had lost three straight games — and McLemore’s 0-for-6 showing on three-pointers in the final game versus Dallas had many questioning the stability of his roster spot, given the looming Dec. 1 date in which his salary surpasses his partial guarantee.

But the Rockets (13-6) finished the week with back-to-back wins, and in House’s absence, McLemore was an huge part of the second victory with season-high numbers across the board. It came at just the right time for the team as a whole, and perhaps for McLemore individually, as well.

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James Harden honors NBA legend Vince Carter in postgame interview

After scoring 60 points in just three quarters, Rockets star James Harden paused his postgame interview to honor NBA legend Vince Carter.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden scored a historic 60 points in just three quarters during Saturday’s huge win over Atlanta. But a big part of his postgame interview was about one of his legendary NBA opponents.

Now 42 years old and in his 22nd and final season, Saturday (box score) was most likely the final game in Houston for Hawks swingman and future Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter, barring a trade or buyout.

After starting his postgame interview with local network AT&T SportsNet Southwest, Harden paused for about 30 seconds to recognize Carter on his way off the court. The entire exchange played out on live television.

Courtside reporter Cayleigh Griffin, who was interviewing Harden, made it clear that she had no objections at all to the brief delay.

Harden’s 60 points on 24 field-goal attempts during Saturday’s blowout victory were the fewest of any player in NBA history to score 60. The former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) also tied Michael Jordan for career 60+ point games at four, which is the third-most in NBA history. No other active player has more than one 60+ point game.

Harden now leads the NBA at 38.9 points per game, which is nearly eight points per game above the No. 2 scorer (Giannis Antetokounmpo) at 31.2 points. That 38.9 total would be the highest in over 55 NBA seasons.

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Rockets star James Harden makes history with 60-point efficiency

Rockets star James Harden made all history with 60 points on just 24 shots in three quarters during Houston’s big win Saturday over Atlanta.

Rockets superstar James Harden scored 60 points in just three quarters in Houston’s 158-111 romp over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Harden put up his numbers on remarkable efficiency, shooting 16-of-24 (66.7%) overall and 8-of-14 (57.1%) on three-pointers. The NBA’s scoring leader also had eight assists, and he led the Rockets with an astounding plus/minus figure of +50 in his 31 minutes (box score).

The 60 points were just one shy of Harden’s career-high total of 61, but he did not play at all in the fourth quarter — since Houston led by an overwhelming 54-point margin heading into it. Harden didn’t seem to realize how close he was to his personal mark, until his stat line was put on the giant screen at Toyota Center in Houston.

Even so, Harden made all sorts of history with Saturday’s performance. For starters, his 60 points on 24 field-goal attempts were the fewest of any player in NBA history to score 60.

Harden also tied Michael Jordan for career 60+ point games at four, which is the third-most in NBA history. No other active NBA player has more than one 60+ point game.

Harden scored 29 of his 60 points in the third quarter. In the first half, the Hawks routinely doubled the former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), but Harden and the Rockets proved they could counter that strategy as well. After doing so, there were fewer immediate double-teams.

The 47-point victory was the second in a row for the Rockets (13-6), who return to action Tuesday night in San Antonio. The overall 158-point total was one point short of Houston’s high for the 2019-20 season of 159 points, which came in an Oct. 30 win at Washington.

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Rockets launch ‘Space City Saturdays’ with new City uniforms

Each Saturday game for the remainder of the season — home and away — will feature the new “City Edition” uniforms for the Rockets.

The Houston Rockets launched their “Space City Saturdays” campaign for the 2019-20 season with Saturday’s home game versus Atlanta.

Each Saturday game for the remainder of the season — home and away — will feature the team’s new “City Edition” uniforms. With “H-Town” across the chest, the NASA-inspired white uniform evokes Houston’s historical and present relationship with the U.S. space agency.

The first 3,000 fans at Toyota Center for the Hawks game received complementary rally towels designed to look like the new jerseys, complete with the numbers of Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

According to the team’s website, highlights of the new uniforms 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

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.

Vanessa Wyche, deputy director at Johnson Space Center, took the game’s ceremonial “First Shot” shortly before tipoff.

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

Similar to the plan to wear the City uniforms each Saturday, the Rockets also have a special “Flashback Friday” theme for nearly all Friday games in the 2019-20 season. In that program, the current Rockets are wearing retro-themed Classic uniforms as part of a 25-year anniversary celebration of the 1994-95 NBA championship squad.

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In total, Houston has 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 changed to incorporate a new font, modernized side panels, and the inclusion of black as a core color. Those sets and the Classic uniform were released in June.

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Juwan Howard motivates Michigan with sideline graphic of P.J. Tucker

University of Michigan hoops coach Juwan Howard explains why he motivated his team with a sideline image of Rockets forward P.J. Tucker.

The University of Michigan men’s basketball team is off to a 7-0 start in the 2019-20 college hoops season, and they unexpectedly won this week’s Battle 4 Atlantis tournament title by knocking off two powerhouses in No.6 North Carolina and No. 8 Gonzaga on neutral floors.

How did they do it? At least in part, a sideline graphic of gritty Houston Rockets veteran P.J. Tucker seems to have played a role.

The Wolverines have a new coach this season in former NBA forward Juwan Howard, who played three seasons himself with the Rockets from 2004 through 2007. To remind his team on the court of the importance of defensive communication, Howard held up a poster image from the sideline of a 34-year-old Tucker wearing a U.S. national team jersey.

When asked about it postgame after Friday’s win over Gonzaga, Howard explained to reporters:

P.J. Tucker called me yesterday to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving, and wanted to know why I was using his picture. And I told him it’s because of this video of him I showed my team while he was competing for a spot on the U.S. National team last summer. Now, here’s a guy who’s a veteran who’s made a lot of money, and still you were out there talking and communicating so much defensively. So I used you as an example to my team we need to be more like P.J. Tucker.

Tucker ultimately didn’t play for the 2019 U.S. team this summer in the World Cup, since an ankle injury forced him to withdraw early. But the 6-foot-5 forward clearly made a big impact on the squad in his time during training camp and exhibition play.

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On his Instagram account, Tucker posted pictures late Friday of Howard holding up his image. “To see him use me to motivate his kids at [Michigan] is beyond amazing,” Tucker wrote as part of his message, which he finished with a “heart and hustle” hashtag.

Known best for his defense and leadership qualities, Tucker is also delivering offensively this season. His 9.7 points per game on 53.5% shooting and 45.3% from behind the three-point arc are all career highs.

Tucker will return to the court himself when the Rockets host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night at Toyota Center.

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Gary Clark earns next opportunity as illnesses hit Rockets’ rotation

Can Gary Clark crack Houston’s rotation? With two starters likely out, the second-year forward will have a chance Saturday to make his case.

Over the first 17 games of the 2019-20 NBA season, second-year forward Gary Clark played 10 minutes combined for the Houston Rockets.

Then on Wednesday, with starting center Clint Capela out sick, the 6-foot-6 Clark — who can play center in smaller lineups — stepped up in a big way with 12 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes. He played the entire second quarter as Houston expanded its lead from four points to 24, which helped spark the Rockets (12-6) to a much-needed win.

Known best for his defense, the soft-spoken 25-year-old also had a block, steal, assist, and two made three-pointers in the victory (box score).

Now, with two frontcourt starters in Capela and Danuel House Jr. both doubtful for Saturday’s home game versus Atlanta due to illnesses, Clark appears poised to earn another opportunity to build on his success.

P.J. Tucker, who is the only usual frontcourt starter expected to play against the Hawks, indicated at Friday’s practice that he sees glimpses of himself in the younger Clark. Tucker told reporters:

I feel like Gary can be like me, in some ways, with the second unit when he comes in. He has ability to space the floor, but it’s more defense. Gary can guard multiple positions. It’s just getting him to talk more. Gary isn’t really a talker, so I’m always trying to influence him to talk more.

After Wednesday’s game, Clark said that even though he hasn’t received regular playing time this year, he still feels he’s been able to learn and improve while watching from the bench. He said:

You can think a lot sitting over there a lot of games. … Just being able to think the game, learn the game, just seeing the ins and outs when you’re sitting over there.

During his rookie season, Clark played 15 times in November 2018 for the Rockets at 21 minutes per game. However, his playing time faded as the year moved along, with the veteran-laden Rockets wanting more proven options for their playoff push.

Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said after Clark’s strong showing versus the Heat that he could win back a rotation spot in his second season, but that consistency would be the key moving forward.

Russell Westbrook, who had 27 points in Wednesday’s victory and played alongside Clark for much of the second quarter, had kind words for the University of Cincinnati product in his postgame interview.

He did a good job, he was ready. Made some big shots, made a lot of plays that aren’t seen on the stat sheet.

At Friday’s practice, D’Antoni largely echoed his postgame assessment when asked whether Clark could keep his minutes moving forward.

It depends on Gary Clark [laughs]. I would love for him to… that means he’s playing well. If he does like he did last game, then yeah. He could earn some minutes.

With Capela and House out, it’s probably a safe bet that Clark will again receive minutes against the young and rebuilding Hawks (4-14). The question is what happens when D’Antoni and the Rockets get their complete rotation back.

Then again, Houston’s primary backup center is Tyson Chandler, who is now 37 years old. Chandler started in place of Capela on Wednesday, yet still played only eight minutes due to the team’s planned usage restrictions on the 19-year NBA veteran over the regular season.

Those limitations could leave an opening for Clark to receive playing time this year, even after Capela and House return. He’ll have a key opportunity Saturday against the Hawks to make his latest case.

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