Houston Rockets Articles - Page 97

Fair or not, Houston Rockets All-Star James Harden is often viewed as a poor defender. This season, however, The Beard is making a conscious effort to step his game up on that end of the floor. How is he doing this, you ask? Head coach Mike D’Antoni and teammate Austin Rivers say the former No. […]

Russell Westbrook was recently the voice of reason for Atlanta Hawks youngster Trae Young amid a losing skid, telling Young about his previous experience from his days on a rebuilding team. The Houston Rockets star was once a rookie for an Oklahoma City Thunder team that had lost 13 consecutive games and won only once […]

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray downplayed the importance of a shoving match with Houston Rockets star James Harden during Monday night’s game, calling it “nothing.” Asked what happened between him and the NBA’s leading scorer, the young floor general said “it’s just basketball,” hoping not to make much of it, according to Tom Orsborn […]

The Houston Rockets rallied from 25 points down to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 109-107. The win marked Houston’s largest come-from-behind victory in franchise history. After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich admitted he actually expected the huge run at some point: “Some ways it’s like your worst nightmare to go up 20 quickly […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden has had an unbelievable start scoring the basketball in the 2019-20 NBA regular season that a 28-point outing seems rather pedestrian by his standards. The San Antonio Spurs made sure Harden worked hard for each of those 28 points in their match on Monday night, limiting the bearded guard to […]

Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets had to dig deep in order to come out victorious against their Texas rivals San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center on Monday night. After trailing as much as 25 points, the Rockets used a strong second half to claim a 109-107 victory — which was the franchise’s biggest […]

In their 109-107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets mounted a 25-point comeback — the biggest comeback in franchise history. In the first half, the Spurs outscored the Rockets, 72-53. James Harden, the Rockets’ focal point on offense, was having a bad shooting night thanks to the stifling defense by the Spurs. […]

James Harden of the Houston Rockets unleashed a nifty Euro step move to sneak in a layup against the San Antonio Spurs. Harden actually struggled in the first half against the Gregg Popovich-led squad. So in the second half, it only made sense that he be a little more aggressive in his offensive campaign. James […]

After just two quarters of basketball, things are already getting heated between Texas rivals Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs at the Toyota Center on Monday. Facing the NBA’s most lethal scorer in James Harden, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has fielded different defenders in an effort to slow down the MVP candidate. After getting […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is currently engaged in a physical and verbal duel with San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray in their respective teams’ game at Toyota Center on Monday. After getting chippy with each other since the opening bell, Murray got the better of Harden in this play at the 8:43 mark of […]

James Harden and Dejounte Murray got the Houston Rockets-San Antonio Spurs match to an intense start with a heated exchange midway through the first quarter. After Murray stole the ball from Harden and coasted for an easy layup, Harden bumped him while retrieving the ball. Of course, Murray didn’t like it and pushed Harden back […]

Houston Rockets shooting guard Eric Gordon is “closer” to returning to the lineup, according to head coach Mike D’Antoni. Gordon is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The Rockets guard will be on a minutes restriction whenever he does return to the court: Mike D'Antoni says Eric Gordon is "closer" to returning. Hesitates […]

For the third consecutive season, Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden is leading the NBA in scoring. Entering Monday, Harden is averaging 39.3 points per game. One of the greatest scorers in league history, Harden is on track for the third-largest points per game gap between the scoring leader and runner-up in NBA history and […]

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray knows the Houston Rockets will be out for revenge after a crazy end to their last matchup. The Spurs managed to rally from down 18 to tie the game by the end of regulation, forcing two overtimes and walking away with the win after a pair of DeMar DeRozan […]

The Houston Rockets find themselves fifth in the Western Conference ladder after a surprisingly good performance from the Detroit Pistons aught them with their pants down. Some may blame the loss to the incredibly rough schedule they’ve had so far, but Clint Capela is not having any of it. The Rockets’ defensive anchor told ClutchPoints’ […]

James Harden is undoubtedly one of the best superstars the NBA has to offer. However, the biggest knock in his game is the fact that the crafty Houston Rockets guard doesn’t have an NBA championship that he can call his own. He’s made the conference finals a couple of times and has consistently been in […]

At this point early in the season, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is already making a strong case to reclaim his MVP title. Right now, the 30-year-old is producing at a mind-boggling rate, averaging a league-best 39.3 points (on 44.8 percent shooting), 5.9 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 2.0 steals while also connecting on 5.0 3-pointers […]

Despite yet another superhuman start to the season, Houston Rockets superstar James Harden still has his fair share of critics. The former MVP recently opened up about how he feels about all his detractors, saying that their hate only serves to motivate him even further. “People can overlook that, or want to talk about the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have “great confidence” that they can trade exiled forward Andre Iguodala before the trade deadline, but the Houston Rockets have already given up on three- and four-team trade permutations to acquire him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (via Sagar Trika of Blazers’ Edge). The Rockets have wanted Iguodala ever […]

Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook will miss Saturday’s game against the Detroit Pistons due to it being the second half of a back-to-back, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. Westbrook is not known to be dealing with any injuries, so this is probably just some good old-fashioned load management. In the 23 games […]

When the Houston Rockets swung a deal to acquire Russell Westbrook in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the summer, just about everyone wondered how it was going to work. Yes, the Rockets were able to unload Chris Paul’s contract, but they also took on Westbrook’s, and the idea of a Westbrook-James Harden […]

Evan Fournier top-scored for the Orlando Magic in scoring in their 130-107 loss to the Houston Rockets with 27 points. Those 27 points, however, were minuscule compared to James Harden’s incandescent 54 point explosion on the other end for the Rockets. Harden torched the net with 10 three-pointers and made 19-of-31 from the field to […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden had another absolutely outstanding outing on Friday as he torched the Orlando Magic for 54 points (19-of-31 from the field, 6-of-6 from the line), along with 10 3-pointers, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and three blocks in 36 minutes of action. The Rockets cruised to another victory, defeating the […]

Retired NBA point guard and basketball analyst Gary Payton grew up in the days of the pass-first point guard that looked to serve the table first and foremost before looking for their own shots. This is why it’s no surprise that the former Seattle Supersonics star thought much less of the current breed of superstar […]

Apart from being the best scorer in the league this year, Houston Rockets guard James Harden is also on a league of his own when it comes to dialing it from deep in the early goings of the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Harden became just the second player in NBA history to record back-to-back games […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden often takes flak for his defense (or lack thereof), but he certainly proved against the Orlando Magic that he can also get it done on the other end. With the Rockets up comfortably by 16 against the Magic, 94-78, with 3.4 seconds left in third quarter of their match at […]

In a game where his Houston Rockets teammate James Harden surpassed Paul Pierce for eighth all-time in career 3-pointers made, former NBA MVP point guard Russell Westbrook produced his own thunderous highlight. Against the Orlando Magic, Westbrook threw down a transition slam dunk with a courtesy headbutt before getting back on defense. Westbrook dishing out […]

Houston Rockets star shooting guard James Harden surpassed Paul Pierce on Friday with his 2,144th career made 3-pointer. Harden, 30, is now eighth all-time in the NBA in 3-pointers made. Congrats to @JHarden13 of the @HoustonRockets for moving up to 8th on the all-time 3PM list! #OneMission pic.twitter.com/lxyi8qRt84 — NBA (@NBA) December 14, 2019 The […]

Orlando Magic point guard Markelle Fultz will play on Friday against the Houston Rockets after missing the previous game versus the Los Angeles Lakers due to a stomach virus. Magic officials said Markelle Fultz (stomach virus) will be available to play against the Rockets tonight. Nikola Vucevic (ankle sprain) will not play tonight. — Josh […]

James Harden’s scoring prowess for the Houston Rockets is a marvel among players and coaches around the NBA… but former Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen is not impressed. Pippen said that Harden’s latest outburst–a 55-point performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers–is not impressive because James Harden is “launching” shots: Scottie Pippen is not likely watching the […]

Carmelo Anthony joined the Houston Rockets prior to the start of the 2018-19 NBA season. It wasn’t clear what sort of role he was to serve, and it quickly became evident as early as training camp that he would struggle to fit in the team’s rotation, according to a report from Sam Amick of The […]

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum believes everything happens for a reason. Take for instance the time Carmelo Anthony was linked to the Blazers in 2017, with McCollum and backcourt partner Damian Lillard clamoring him to join Rip City — a chance he chose to pass up. Fast forward two-plus years and Melo is donning […]

Everyone and their mother knows how James Harden is playing out of his mind this season. In fact, he had another 50-point performance this season that puts him closer to the lofty heights set by two NBA legends. According to ESPN Stats & Info, The Beard is closing in on His Airness and The Black […]

Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden is undoubtedly one of the best shooters in the NBA today. Harden has brought his game to a whole new level this 2019, as he is averaging a career-high 38.0 points, 7.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game. Much of Harden’s ability to put up those historic scoring numbers […]

We are inching towards the new year, which means that the NBA is entering that prime time of the season where trade rumors start flying around. Stars like Kevin Love have already grown accustomed to hearing their names involved in trade talks, but role players are more commonly involved. Minnesota Timberwolves wing Robert Covington could […]

The question “what if?” is asked quite often as it relates to NBA history. What if the Portland Trail Blazers drafted Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie? What if Len Bias never tragically passed away? What if Derrick Rose never tore his ACL? Sometimes, the best “what if?” questions related to potential dream matchups. Basketball […]

During an Ask Me Anything Series on Reddit, Toronto Raptors rising star Pascal Siakam was asked who is the toughest player to guard in the NBA. Siakam went with Houston Rockets superstar guard James Harden and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, who is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 season recovering from an Achilles tear. […]

The Houston Rockets have some serious interest in acquiring Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robert Covington, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. Now more than a quarter of the way in, the Rockets sit at 15-8, which is a good but not great record as they hunt for that elusive title. Their lack of depth has […]

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni insists his team isn’t bothered by opponents constantly throwing hard double-teams at James Harden, something that has bothered the superstar to the point of complaining in media sessions. D’Antoni says this strategy should only help his team in the long run: “It doesn’t bother us,” D’Antoni told ESPN’s Zach […]