| 2018–19 Houston Rockets season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Division champions | |||
| Head coach | Mike D'Antoni | ||
| General manager | Daryl Morey | ||
| Owners | Tilman Fertitta | ||
| Arena | Toyota Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 53–29 (.646) | ||
| Place | Division: 1st (Southwest) Conference: 4th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | Conference semifinals (lost toWarriors 2–4) | ||
Stats atBasketball Reference | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest | ||
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 | ||
| |||
The2018–19 Houston Rockets season was the 52nd season of the franchise in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), and their 48th in theHouston area.[1]
Despite early struggles in the season including an on-court altercation between rival guards Chris Paul andRajon Rondo, injuries among its players, and losing core players includingTrevor Ariza, the team made a dramatic improvement and finished as the 4th seed in the West. Most notable within the surge was Harden's impressive play. It included his 30-point streak which started on December 13, all the way to a surprising 32 games until ending on February 25. This streak had left him 2nd for continuous 30+ points in a game, leaving Wilt Chamberlain as 1st. On March 24, against the Pelicans, they clinched another playoff spot for the 7th straight year.
In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated theUtah Jazz in the First Round in five games. However, the Rockets would lose in six games against the two-time defending NBA championGolden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals, their fourth playoff exit against the Warriors in the last five postseasons. They previously lost to the Warriors in 2015 (conference finals), 2016 (first round), and 2018 (conference finals).
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | De'Anthony Melton | Guard |  United States | USC(So.) |
Entering the night of the draft, the Rockets had only one selection at hand, with it being the pick they acquired from theMiami Heat via a previous trade involving theMemphis Grizzlies andCharlotte Hornets, being the lowest second round pick of those teams. On the night of the draft, the Rockets selected formerUniversity of Southern California guardDe'Anthony Melton as their sole selection that year. Melton only played one season at USC, playing that previous season as a starter in 25 out of 36 games played there, recording averages of 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game that season. He was originally planned to play in his sophomore season, but was suspended and later left in relation to the2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Prior to the start of the season, Melton was traded alongside veteran power forwardRyan Anderson to thePhoenix Suns on August 31, 2018, in exchange for veteran point guardBrandon Knight and power forwardMarquese Chriss.
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coach Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y –Houston Rockets | 53 | 29 | .646 | – | 31–10 | 22–19 | 10–6 | 82 |
| x –San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 5.0 | 32–9 | 16–25 | 10–6 | 82 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 21–20 | 12–29 | 8–8 | 82 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 19–22 | 14–27 | 8–8 | 82 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 20.0 | 24–17 | 9–32 | 4–12 | 82 |
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c –Golden State Warriors * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y –Denver Nuggets * | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x –Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y –Houston Rockets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x –Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x –Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x –San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x –Los Angeles Clippers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 playoff game log Total: 6–5 (home: 5–1; road: 1–4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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Conference Semifinals: 2–4 (home: 2–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2019 playoff schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carmelo Anthony† | PF | 10 | 2 | 294 | 54 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 134 |
| Clint Capela | C | 67 | 67 | 2,249 | 848 | 96 | 44 | 102 | 1,114 |
| Michael Carter-Williams† | PG | 16 | 1 | 145 | 13 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 69 |
| Chris Chiozza≠ | PG | 7 | 0 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Marquese Chriss† | PF | 16 | 0 | 104 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 29 |
| Gary Clark | PF | 51 | 2 | 641 | 116 | 18 | 20 | 26 | 148 |
| Vincent Edwards | SF | 2 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| James Ennis† | SF | 40 | 25 | 949 | 117 | 27 | 38 | 16 | 294 |
| Kenneth Faried≠ | C | 25 | 13 | 610 | 206 | 18 | 15 | 19 | 323 |
| Eric Gordon | SG | 68 | 53 | 2,158 | 148 | 129 | 41 | 27 | 1,103 |
| Gerald Green | SG | 73 | 0 | 1,473 | 182 | 40 | 33 | 27 | 675 |
| James Harden | PG | 78 | 78 | 2,867 | 518 | 586 | 158 | 58 | 2,818 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | PF | 28 | 0 | 221 | 47 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 53 |
| Danuel House‡ | SF | 39 | 13 | 979 | 140 | 40 | 21 | 11 | 366 |
| Terrence Jones≠ | PF | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Brandon Knight† | PG | 12 | 0 | 118 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 36 |
| Nenê | C | 42 | 2 | 546 | 123 | 26 | 18 | 15 | 151 |
| James Nunnally≠ | SF | 2 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Chris Paul | PG | 58 | 58 | 1,857 | 265 | 473 | 114 | 18 | 906 |
| Austin Rivers≠ | SG | 47 | 13 | 1,345 | 91 | 109 | 29 | 13 | 408 |
| Iman Shumpert≠ | SG | 20 | 1 | 382 | 54 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 91 |
| P. J. Tucker | PF | 82 | 82 | 2,802 | 479 | 96 | 132 | 39 | 601 |
| Zhou Qi‡ | PF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
After all games.[2]
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season
| Player | Pos. | GP | GS | MP | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clint Capela | C | 11 | 11 | 331 | 113 | 16 | 3 | 12 | 107 |
| Gary Clark | PF | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kenneth Faried | C | 6 | 0 | 56 | 21 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 24 |
| Eric Gordon | SG | 11 | 11 | 410 | 27 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 196 |
| Gerald Green | SG | 11 | 0 | 97 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 39 |
| James Harden | PG | 11 | 11 | 424 | 76 | 73 | 24 | 10 | 348 |
| Isaiah Hartenstein | PF | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Danuel House | SF | 7 | 0 | 53 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 27 |
| Nenê | C | 7 | 0 | 141 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| Chris Paul | PG | 11 | 11 | 397 | 70 | 60 | 24 | 7 | 187 |
| Austin Rivers | SG | 10 | 0 | 215 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 74 |
| Iman Shumpert | SG | 8 | 0 | 109 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| P. J. Tucker | PF | 11 | 11 | 426 | 82 | 19 | 19 | 8 | 125 |
| August 2, 2018[3] | ToHouston Rockets Draft rights toMaarty Leunen | ToDallas Mavericks Chinanu Onuaku Cash considerations Option to swap 2020 second-round draft picks |
| August 31, 2018[4] | ToHouston Rockets Brandon Knight Marquese Chriss | ToPhoenix Suns Ryan Anderson De'Anthony Melton |
| January 7, 2019[5] | ToHouston Rockets Conditional 2020 second-round draft pick (Memphis) | ToChicago Bulls Michael Carter-Williams Cash considerations |
| January 22, 2019[6] | ToHouston Rockets Draft rights toTadija Dragićević | ToChicago Bulls Carmelo Anthony Draft rights toJon Diebler Cash considerations |
| February 7, 2019[7][8][9] | ToHouston Rockets Option to swap 2021 second-round draft picks | ToPhiladelphia 76ers James Ennis III |
| ToHouston Rockets Iman Shumpert (from Sacramento) Wade Baldwin IV Nik Stauskas 2021 second-round draft pick (Milwaukee) Option to swap 2020 second-round draft picks | ToCleveland Cavaliers Brandon Knight Marquese Chriss Conditional 2019 first-round draft pick 2022 second-round draft pick | |
| ToHouston Rockets Cash considerations | ToIndiana Pacers Wade Baldwin IV Nik Stauskas Draft rights toMaarty Leunen 2021 second-round draft pick (Milwaukee) |
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Chris Paul[10] | 4-year contract worth $160 million |
| Gerald Green[11] | 1-year contract worth $2.4 million |
| Clint Capela[12] | 5-year contract worth $90 million |
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Gary Clark | Two-way contract | Cincinnati Bearcats |
| Vincent Edwards | Two-way contract | Purdue Boilermakers |
| Michael Carter-Williams[13] | 1-year contract worth $1.9 million | Charlotte Hornets |
| James Ennis III | 2-year contract worth $3.4 million | Detroit Pistons |
| Carmelo Anthony[14] | 1-year contract worth $2.4 million | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Danuel House | Two-way contract | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Austin Rivers | 1-year, veteran's minimum contract | Phoenix Suns |
| James Nunnally | 10-day contract | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Kenneth Faried | 1-year, veteran's prorated minimum contract | Brooklyn Nets |
| Terrence Jones | 10-day contract | Erie BayHawks |
| Chris Chiozza | 10-day contract | Capital City Go-Go |
| Trevon Duval | Two-way contract | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Michael Frazier II | Prorated minimum contract | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Trevor Ariza[15] | 1-year contract worth $15 million | Phoenix Suns |
| Aaron Jackson | Waived |  Beijing Ducks |
| Luc Mbah a Moute[16] | 1-year contract worth $4.3 million | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Markel Brown | 1-year contract |  Darüşşafaka |
| R. J. Hunter | Waived | Atlanta Hawks |
| Zhou Qi | Waived | n/a |
| James Nunnally | Waived |  AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan |
| Terrence Jones | Waived | n/a |
| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 17, 2018 | [17] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 31, 2018 | [18] |
| Mike D'Antoni | Western Conference Coach of the Month (December) | January 2, 2019 | [19] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Month (December) | January 3, 2019 | [20] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | January 21, 2019 | [21] |
| James Harden | NBA All-Star | January 24, 2019 | [22] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Month (January) | February 2, 2019 | [23] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | March 25, 2019 | [24] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Month (March/April) | April 11, 2019 | [25] |
