Tag: Rockets Rewind

Today in Rockets history: Calvin Murphy scores historic 57 points

On March 18, 1978, Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy scored 57 points. That stood as the Houston Rockets scoring record for 40 years.

On March 18, 1978 (box score), Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy scored a historic 57 points in a narrow home loss to the New Jersey Nets. That total held up as the Houston Rockets scoring record for 40 years.

Most impressive at all? The NBA hadn’t even added the 3-point line, yet! (That came in the 1979-80 season.) Utilizing his lightning-quick first step to attack the basket and lethal mid-range shooting, Murphy scored 57 on 24-of-40 from the field (60.0%), along with nine free throws.

Murphy’s record was finally broken on Jan. 30, 2018, when current Rockets star James Harden scored 60 points, including five 3-pointers. Harden went on to win MVP at the conclusion of that season.

Now a Rockets television analyst, Murphy showed a great deal of class by immediately congratulating Harden once the record was broken.

For his part, Harden explained to the Houston Chronicle at the time that he and Murphy maintain a close relationship:

“Me and Cal talk all the time,” Harden said. “He’s one of the best to ever put a Rockets jersey on. Big ups to him. We talk all the time. I told him I’m coming for that assists record, as well. It’s great. He said as long as it’s a Hall of Famer that’s doing it, so that’s what I’m chasing.”

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Harden ultimately passed Murphy on the franchise’s career assists list on Dec. 19, 2019. Just before that game, Murphy explained why he was happy to see many of his career records broken by Harden:

People are going to ask me about him breaking my record. Number one, I’ve held it for 50 years. Can you believe that? All my contemporaries are gone, and they’re still talking about Calvin Murphy.

I’ve always said that if any of my records fall, I want them to be broken by somebody of quality. Not somebody that accidentally stepped into it. James Harden is more than qualified to break any of Calvin Murphy’s records.

The thing I like about James Harden is that when he does something of that magnitude, he always brings me along for the ride, and I appreciate that. … The fact that he appreciates what we did before him makes me feel good. This man has class.

There aren’t any publicly available highlight packages of Murphy’s historic game on March 18, 1978. But just over three years later in April 1981 — and in a game where highlights are available — Murphy scored a game-high 42 points on 19-of-28 shooting (67.9%) in a road Game 7 victory to close out the Western Conference semi-finals at San Antonio.

The Rockets went on to win the West that season, advancing them to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

Over 13 seasons with the Rockets (including his rookie year in San Diego), Murphy averaged 17.9 points in 30.5 minutes per game on 48.2% shooting from the field. He shot 89.2% on free throws, headlined by the NBA’s longest-ever streak at the time with 78 consecutive makes.

Though Murphy wasn’t selected until the second round of the 1970 NBA Draft, the undersized shooting guard exceeded all expectations on both offense and defense during his Hall of Fame career. To this day, he remains one of the best draft picks in Rockets franchise history.

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(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments in franchise history. We’ll have more of our Rockets Rewind series coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)

Today in Rockets history: Aaron Brooks caps career scoring year

On March 17, 2010, Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 31 points and made all seven of his 3-pointers in a big win at home over Memphis.

The 2009-10 season was a memorable one for undersized point guard Aaron Brooks. In his third NBA campaign, Houston’s first-round pick from the 2007 NBA Draft broke out with career highs of 19.6 points (39.8% on 3-pointers) and 5.3 assists in 35.6 minutes per game.

With former All-Stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady combining to play only six games due to injury before McGrady was traded away at the league’s February deadline, Brooks played a key role in Houston exceeding its post-injury expectations and finishing with a winning record (42-40).

For the lightning-quick 6-foot-0 guard out of Oregon, it was a game 10 years ago on March 17, 2010, that was among his most memorable.

In a 107-94 victory (box score) over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies (36-33), Brooks made all seven of his attempted 3-pointers and scored a game-high 31 points — leading his Rockets (35-31) to a convincing win over the Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Rudy Gay-led Grizzlies.

Brooks connected on 11-of-14 shots (78.6%) overall, and he also had five rebounds and four assists in his 36 minutes.

Now 35 years old, Brooks has seemingly retired after tearing his Achilles in October 2019 during a game in Australia. In all, he played 12 professional seasons, including parts of six different seasons in Houston.

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(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments in franchise history. We’ll have more of our Rockets Rewind series coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)

This day in history: Rockets finish off 22-game win streak vs. Lakers

Rafer Alston set career highs with 31 points and eight 3-pointers as the Rockets finished off a 22-game winning streak on March 16, 2008.

Led by a career-high 31 points and eight 3-pointers from veteran point guard Rafer Alston, the Houston Rockets finished off the longest winning streak in team history at 22 games on March 16, 2008, versus the eventual Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (box score).

The 104-92 victory gave the Rockets what was then the second-longest streak of consecutive wins in NBA history. (It’s now the fourth longest.)

All-Star center and future Hall of Famer Yao Ming was already lost for the season with a foot injury, and backcourt star Tracy McGrady scored only 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting (25.0%) amid frequent double-teams.

But strong defense from Shane Battier limited Lakers star Kobe Bryant to just 24 points on 11-of-33 shooting (33.3%), while Alston connected on 8-of-11 (72.7%) 3-pointers as the Rockets made history at Toyota Center.

Bobby Jackson scored 19 points off the Houston bench on 7-of-9 shooting (77.8%), and his +15 in 20 minutes was the best of any player.

The statement victory temporarily moved the Rockets (46-20) ahead of the Lakers (45-21) for the No. 1 spot in the West standings. The 22-game streak came to an end on March 18, 2008 versus the Boston Celtics, who went on to win the 2007-08 NBA championship.

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(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments in franchise history. We’ll have more of our Rockets Rewind series coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)

Today in Rockets history: Yao Ming has epic battle with Dirk Nowitzki

On this day in 2006, Yao Ming had a game-high 36 points (70.6% FG) and 12 rebounds in an epic battle against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs.

The 2005-06 NBA campaign was largely a lost season for the Houston Rockets due to injuries, but they also flashed their potential on several occasions and showed promise for better days ahead.

One of those promising days was March 15, 2006, when star center Yao Ming had a game-high 36 points (70.6% shooting) and 12 rebounds against future NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite Yao’s strong showing, the Mavericks still won the game, 95-81 (box score). That was in large part due to Nowitzki, who led the Mavs with 30 points (50% shooting) and 11 rebounds. The victory improved Dallas to 51-14, and they went on that season to win 60 games and eventually the Western Conference, advancing to the 2006 NBA Finals.

The 2005-06 Rockets finished 34-48, largely due to 25 games missed by Yao and 35 absences from co-star Tracy McGrady due to injury. McGrady did not play in the March 15 home loss to the Mavs.

In postgame comments, NBA veterans Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse (then with the Mavs) offered extensive praise for Yao’s performance.

Terry on Yao: An animal. He is playing like a beast. He is playing real aggressive. This is the best I have seen him play since he’s been in the league.

Stackhouse on Yao: This is the best I have ever seen him play. He’s the best center in the NBA right now on one end [offensive] of the court. Every team has to focus on him more than any other center in the NBA, even Shaq [O’Neal].

With better health, the Rockets won 52 or more games in each of the franchise’s next three seasons, including the 2008-09 squad that — led by their 7-foot-5 center from China — became the first Houston team in over a decade to win a series in the NBA playoffs.

Drafted No. 1 overall in the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao averaged 19.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 32.7 minutes per game over his first seven seasons with the Rockets from 2002 through 2009.

Though his career was cut short after 2009 due to a recurring foot injury, Yao’s career impact (on and off the court) was significant enough that he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus amid the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments in franchise history. We’ll have more of our Rockets Rewind series coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)

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Today in Rockets history: Donatas Motiejunas sparks historic rout

On March 14, 2016, Donatas Motiejunas led nine Rockets in double figures as Houston recorded its third-biggest win in franchise history.

In the big picture, there wasn’t a lot to celebrate about the 2015-16 season for the Houston Rockets. They entered the year with NBA championship aspirations coming off a Western Conference Finals berth, and finished 41-41 with a disappointing No. 8 finish in the West.

But March 14, 2016 was one of the rare exceptions. On that day, the Rockets routed the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, 130-81 (box score), in what was the third-largest margin of victory in franchise history.

Lithuanian big man Donatas Motiejunas scored 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting (50.0%) in just 21 minutes, and he led the team with an astounding +37 in the plus/minus during his abbreviated court time.

Based on the rout, no starter played more than 25 minutes, and all 12 active players on the Houston roster had at least 12 minutes.

The Rockets (34-33) had an incredible nine players with double figures in scoring in that game at Toyota Center, including Motiejunas, Trevor Ariza, James Harden, Patrick Beverley, Michael Beasley, Clint Capela, Andrew Goudelock, Jason Terry, and K.J. McDaniels.

The Grizzlies (39-28) were severely shorthanded that night, with veterans Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Lance Stephenson, and Vince Carter all missing the game due to injury (recap). But during that challenging season, Houston needed all the wins it could get.

The Rockets finished that season as the No. 8 seed in the playoffs at 41-41, just a game back of the Grizzlies (42-40) for the No. 7 spot.

For Motiejunas, it was his fourth and final season in Houston. Now 29 years old, he currently plays for the Shanghai Sharks in China.

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Motiejunas appeared to have left the team at the February 2016 trade deadline, when GM Daryl Morey sent him to the Detroit Pistons for a draft pick. With his contract expiring after the season, the Rockets didn’t want to risk losing Motiejunas for nothing in free agency.

The Pistons, however, voided the trade — saying Motiejunas didn’t pass their physical. That sent him back to Houston, where fortunately the sides were able to move past the attempted transaction.

Though the 2015-16 Rockets lost in five games in the first round of the playoffs, Motiejunas did indirectly play a key role in how that NBA season finished. After slipping on Motiejunas’ sweat in Houston in an April 2016 playoff game, Golden State star Steph Curry missed multiple weeks with a right knee injury. At the time, the Warriors (73-9) were a juggernaut and coming off the winningest regular season in NBA history.

While Curry did return to the playoffs, he was never as efficient or explosive following the injury, and the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.

(Editor’s note: With the 2019-20 season on hiatus due to the NBA’s coronavirus-induced shutdown, we’re looking back at key moments throughout Rockets franchise history. We’ll have more reflections coming up, since the league’s stoppage is expected to last at least 30 days.)