Houston Rockets Articles - Page 89

James Harden had a short-lived stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder, never getting signed past his rookie contract and traded to the Houston Rockets. Many thought he was pried from former teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant way too soon, yet The Beard never discussed returning to OKC for a reunion. Harden and Westbrook opened […]

As part of a wide-ranging interview with GQ, Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden reacted to critics who say he plays too much isolation basketball. Harden is one of the most prolific scorers that the NBA has ever known. At 35.3 points per game, he’s leading the league in scoring by a wide margin. An excellent […]

One of the biggest what-ifs in the NBA over the past decade would have to be the now-defunct trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden with the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s no doubt that this was one of the most talented trios in league history, and the general consensus is that this group […]

At this year’s February trade deadline, the Houston Rockets traded away their only rim protector in Clint Capela and brought in an elite 3-and-D wing in Robert Covington. Just recently, they signed veterans Jeff Green and Demarre Carroll to bolster their wing depth ahead of the postseason. With these moves, the Rockets have made it […]

Veteran NBA guard DeMarre Carroll has nothing bad to say about San Antonio Spurs legendary head coach Gregg Popovich. However, the swingman — who has agreed to a buyout with the Spurs and plans to sign with the Houston Rockets — says he was never able to jell with Popovich on the basketball court: “Coach […]

New Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green played with Russell Westbrook and James Harden on the Oklahoma City Thunder back in the day. Now, Green is reuniting with the two MVP’s on the Rockets. The veteran swingman is excited to play with Harden and Westbrook again and help Houston win a championship come playoff time: Forward […]

Jeff Green will initially sign a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets, giving him a chance to become comfortable with the fit before committing to a deal for the rest of the season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Jeff Green will initially sign a 10-day contract with the Rockets, giving him a chance to […]

Veteran small forward Jeff Green is signing with the Houston Rockets, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Green was waived by the Utah Jazz earlier this season: Veteran forward Jeff Green has agreed to sign with the Rockets, league sources tell ESPN. Green averaged 7.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 30 games with the Jazz […]

DeMarre Carroll and the San Antonio Spurs have reached a buyout agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Houston Rockets are the front-runners to sign Carroll: San Antonio and forward DeMarre Carroll have agreed to a contract buyout, agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. Houston is a frontrunner to sign Carroll once he […]

Houston Rockets former MVP winner Russell Westbrook had very little impact on Sunday in what was a historically successful All-Star Game. The 31-year-old — making his ninth All-Star appearance in his career — logged 27 minutes during the contest (second only in his team to Ben Simmons who played 29 minutes), but finished with only […]

The Houston Rockets guaranteed the final year of PJ Tucker’s contract, something former teammate Chris Paul is really happy about. Tucker will make $7,969,537 next season and enter unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2021. Paul, however, is hoping the Rockets give Tucker an extension before that happens: “I think the person that I […]

Houston Rockets superstar point guard Russell Westbrook dropped the “next question” line from his repertoire before the season started. Westbrook used to say “next question” when Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer Berry Tramel would ask him a question. The All-Star guard has been polite with the Rockets media this season because he is no longer letting […]

While speaking to reporters ahead of this season’s Rising Stars Game, Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke was asked which trait he would like to steal from a current All-Star. As part of his reply, Clarke noted that he would like to have Houston Rockets guard James Harden’s shooting prowess. “Probably Harden’s shooting,” Clarke said, via […]

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon has known Detroit Pistons star Derrick Rose for a while. Rose and Gordon were AAU teammates and formed a lethal dynamic duo during the summer before their senior year of high school. Gordon always knew Rose was destined for great things and isn’t surprised the former MVP is still playing […]

Prior to his summer move to the Houston Rockets, Russell Westbrook astoundingly averaged a triple-double for three consecutive seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also bagged the MVP title back in the 2016-17 season in what was truly a historic season for the nine-time All-Star. This season, Westbrook’s numbers have dipped, and the fact […]

The Boston Celtics fell to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday in what was an awesome encounter between two playoff-bound squads. It was the Rockets who emerged with the 116-105 victory, but the win was not without controversy. Celtics guard Marcus Smart spoke out after his team’s frustrating loss, taking aim at the game officials, who […]

Since trading starting center Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline and embracing the ultimate small-ball lineup, the Houston Rockets are 2-2. Despite their lack of traditional size, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni isn’t worried. Small-ball #Rockets inviting post-up possessions with their group of “linebacker” defenders: “We don’t have those long, tall […]

For Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni, if opposing teams continue fielding centers against Russell Westbrook, then the former MVP will get in the Hall of Fame a lot quicker. Per Mark Berman of Fox 26, D’Antoni shared his thoughts after the Rockets’ heartbreaking 114-113 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday. In the defeat, […]

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens might have his work cut out for him as his team faces off against a small-ball Houston Rockets squad on Tuesday. “They’ve done that a lot ..The uniqueness of it is they’re going to be doing it for 48 min a game.They’re special at switching..When teams start staring at […]

With the 2020 Summer Olympics set to take place in Tokyo, Japan between late July and early August, the United States is surely primed to dominate the competition in a variety of different events — men’s basketball included. Only recently, Team USA narrowed down its list of players to 44 finalists with the 2020 Sumner […]

Russell Westbrook has played better since the Houston Rockets moved to a small-ball lineup, and it appears that’s exactly why Houston moved on from Clint Capela. The Rockets traded Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in a four-team deal that landed them Robert Covington. According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Daryl Morey and Co. pulled the […]

Houston Rockets sharpshooter Eric Gordon will be out until after the All-Star Game, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Gordon suffered a lower left leg injury during Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns, causing him to miss Sunday’s subsequent loss to the Utah Jazz. Gordon had missed a little over a month after undergoing […]

The Houston Rockets made an interesting move at this season’s trade deadline, dealing Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks as part of a four-team transaction. As a result, the Rockets are now without a traditional center, but general manager Daryl Morey says everyone on the team is on board with “small ball.” “It’s definitely a […]

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert had a short but true compliment for teammate Bojan Bogdanovic, who hit a highly improbable game-winner against the Houston Rockets to take a 114-113 win on Sunday night. Bogdanovic, who was 1-of-6 from the field before firing off a heavily contested 28-footer, had the trust of the coaching staff to […]

The Houston Rockets lost a heartbreaker against the Utah Jazz in a game that came down to the wire, as Bojan Bogdanovic one-upped a would-be corner 3 game-winner from PJ Tucker with his own buzzer-beating bomb to win the game. Tucker and James Harden defended Bogdanovic beautifully, but the sharpshooter drew nothing but nylon on […]

Utah Jazz marksman Bojan Bogdanovic hit one of the most unlikely shots to put a fitting stamp in a see-saw high-octane tilt with the Houston Rockets. Bogdanovic, who was 1-of-6 from the floor prior to crunch time, was trusted with taking the last shot in a pressure situation, burying a 28-footer off a pinwheel screen […]

In one possession, Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockets faced up with Utah Jazz defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert. In a matchup between the two titans, it was the former MVP who won over the two-time Defensive Player of the Year awardee. For Westbrook, shot-blocker or not, he attacks them all with vicious intent. Russ attacks […]

The Houston Rockets made PJ Tucker their pseudo “center” when they orchestrated a trade that sent Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks while bringing Robert Covington to Houston. Now, the Rockets are set to fully guarantee the fourth and final season of Tucker’s contract in 2020-21, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Houston […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni spoke about the decision to trade former center Clint Capela and bring in Robert Covington ahead of Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz. D’Antoni said the acquisition of Covington will go further in terms of the ability to “maximize” the potential of the team: Mike D’Antoni on the #Rockets […]

Brooklyn Nets veteran big man DeAndre Jordan is a traditional big man. In a way, it’ll forever make him against the idea of small-ball running a new era in the NBA. More on that in a moment, though. Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni has recently pulled out another one from magical bag of tricks […]

The Houston Rockets recently parted ways with their starting big man, Clint Capela in a huge four-team trade that went down right towards the end of the recently-concluded trade deadline. As it turns out, the Rockets were actually interested in bringing in a like-for-like replacement for Capela, and according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of […]

An NBA player cannot score over 35 points per game without having a few crafty moves up his sleeve. Houston Rockets superstar James Harden proved that on Friday against the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately for Harden, the Rockets star wouldn’t end up getting the result he wanted on the play. Matched up with Suns second-year wing […]

New Houston Rockets forward Robert Covington helped Houston upset the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday at Staples Center. The Rockets, who were playing without a center, defeated the Lakers by 10 points. Covington, playing in his first game with Houston, chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes. After the game, Covington talked […]

The Houston Rockets raised a lot of eyebrows on Thursday night, as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers with one of the smaller lineups in recent history. Despite the fact that they’re slight in stature after this season’s trade deadline, James Harden believes his team can compete with anybody. The Rockets decided to trade Clint […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are being viewed as a favorite for this season’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, but Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey believes his team can beat them. Morey admits that the Lakers should be considered a favorite, but he is confident that the Rockets can stop them: Via USA Today: When it comes […]

The Houston Rockets were one of the biggest winners of the recently-concluded trade season, with the team adding a substantial piece in veteran swingman Robert Covington. The Rockets, however, had to part ways with starting big man Clint Capela — among others — who was actually having another outstanding season with the squad. Rockets general […]

The Clint Capela trade looked like a moment of madness, but Mike D’Antoni and the Houston Rockets may have made a masterstroke after the small-ball Houston Rockets took down the Los Angeles Lakers in convincing fashion on Thursday night. The 121-111 victory saw the Rockets triumph over LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of […]

This thing isn’t actually going to work for the Houston Rockets, is it? Could it? Can it be? It certainly looked good on Thursday night, as the super-small Rockets thumped the Los Angeles Lakers by a score of 121-111 at the Staples Center behind 41 points from Russell Westbrook. Think about this: Houston dropped 121 […]

The Los Angeles Lakers fell flat on Thursday night at the Staples Center. The Houston Rockets came to town and handed the top team in the Western Conference a loss on their home floor, 121-111. Although the NBA’s leading scorer, James Harden, had a rough night offensively scoring only 14 points, Russell Westbrook picked up […]