2018–19 Houston Rockets season

The 2018–19 Houston Rockets season was the 52nd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 48th in the Houston area.[1]

2018–19 Houston Rockets season
Division champions
Head coachMike D'Antoni
General managerDaryl Morey
OwnersTilman Fertitta
ArenaToyota Center
Results
Record53–29 (.646)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Southwest)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finishConference Semifinals
(Lost to Warriors 2–4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionAT&T SportsNet Southwest
RadioSportstalk 790

Despite early struggles in the season including an on-court altercation between rival guards Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, injuries among its core players, and losing core players including Trevor Ariza, the team made a dramatic improvement and finished as the 4th seed in the West. Most notable within the surge would be Harden's impressive play. It included his 30-point streak which started on December 11, 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 had clinched another playoff spot for the 7th straight year.

In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the Utah Jazz in the First Round in five games. However, the Rockets would lose in six games against the two-time defending NBA champion Golden 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).

Draft picks
Main article: 2018 NBA draft
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 the Miami Heat via a previous trade involving the Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets, being the lowest second round pick of those teams. On the night of the draft, the Rockets selected former University of Southern California guard De'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 the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Prior to the start of the season, Melton was traded alongside veteran power forward Ryan Anderson to the Phoenix Suns on August 31, 2018, in exchange for veteran point guard Brandon Knight and power forward Marquese Chriss.

Roster
Roster listing
2018–19 Houston Rockets roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
C 15 Capela, Clint 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1994–05–18 Switzerland
G 2 Chiozza, Chris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1995–11–21 Florida
F 6 Clark, Gary 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1994–11–16 Cincinnati
G 0 Duval, Trevon (TW) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1998–08–03 Duke
F 12 Edwards, Vincent (TW) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1996–04–05 Purdue
F 35 Faried, Kenneth 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1989–11–19 Morehead State
G 21 Frazier, Michael 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1994–03–08 Florida
G 10 Gordon, Eric 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1988–12–25 Indiana
G/F 14 Green, Gerald 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1986–01–26 Gulf Shores Academy (TX)
G 13 Harden, James 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1989–08–26 Arizona State
C 55 Hartenstein, Isaiah 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1998–05–05 Germany
G/F 4 House, Danuel 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 227 lb (103 kg) 1993–06–07 Texas A&M
C 42 Nenê 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1982–09–13 Brazil
G 3 Paul, Chris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1985–05–06 Wake Forest
G 25 Rivers, Austin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1992–08–01 Duke
G 1 Shumpert, Iman 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1990–06–26 Georgia Tech
F 17 Tucker, P. J. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1985–05–05 Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate
  • (TW) Two-way affiliate player
  • Injured

Roster
Last transaction: 2019–03–17

Standings

Division
Southwest Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div GP
y – Houston Rockets 53 29 .646 0.0 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

Conference
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

Game log

Preseason
2018 preseason game log
Total: 4–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 3–0)
Preseason: 4–1 (Home: 1–1; Road: 3–0)
2018–19 season schedule

Regular season
2018–19 game log
Total: 53–29 (Home: 31–10; Road: 22–19)
October: 1–5 (Home: 0–4; Road: 1–1)
November : 9–6 (Home: 4–1; Road: 5–5)
December : 11–4 (Home: 9–0; Road: 2–4)
January : 8–6 (Home: 6–3; Road: 2–3)
February : 8–4 (Home: 3–1; Road: 5–3)
March : 12–3 (Home: 7–1; Road: 5–2)
April : 4–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–1)
2018–19 season schedule

Playoffs
See also: 2019 NBA Playoffs
2019 playoff game log
Total: 6–5 (Home: 5–1; Road: 1–4)
First Round: 4–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 1–1)
Conference Semifinals: 2–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–3)
2019 playoff schedule

Player statistics

Regular season
Player Pos. GP GS MP Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk. Pts.
Carmelo Anthony†PF 10229454547134
Clint CapelaC 67672,24984896441021,114
Michael Carter-Williams†PG 16114513219669
Chris Chiozza≠PG 703344116
Marquese Chriss†PF 1601042862429
Gary ClarkPF 512641116182026148
Vincent EdwardsSF 201620003
James Ennis†SF 4025949117273816294
Kenneth Faried≠C 2513610206181519323
Eric GordonSG 68532,15814812941271,103
Gerald GreenSG 7301,473182403327675
James HardenPG 78782,867518586158582,818
Isaiah HartensteinPF 280221471571253
Danuel House‡SF 3913979140402111366
Terrence Jones≠PF 20540002
Brandon Knight†PG 120118992036
NenêC 422546123261815151
James Nunnally≠SF 203812009
Chris PaulPG 58581,85726547311418906
Austin Rivers≠SG 47131,345911092913408
Iman Shumpert≠SG 201382542112491
P. J. TuckerPF 82822,8024799613239601
Zhou Qi‡PF 10100002

After all games.[2]
‡Waived during the season
†Traded during the season
≠Acquired during the season

Playoffs
Player Pos. GP GS MP Reb. Ast. Stl. Blk. Pts.
Clint CapelaC 111133111316312107
Gary ClarkPF 20410000
Kenneth FariedC 60562122024
Eric GordonSG 11114102714711196
Gerald GreenSG 110971213339
James HardenPG 111142476732410348
Isaiah HartensteinPF 20210004
Danuel HouseSF 70531433227
NenêC 701412213234
Chris PaulPG 11113977060247187
Austin RiversSG 10021521105174
Iman ShumpertSG 801091221029
P. J. TuckerPF 11114268219198125

Transactions
Main article: List of 2018–19 NBA season transactions

Trades
August 2, 2018[3] To Houston Rockets
Draft rights to Maarty Leunen		 To Dallas Mavericks
Chinanu Onuaku
Cash considerations
Option to swap 2020 second-round draft picks
August 31, 2018[4] To Houston Rockets
Brandon Knight
Marquese Chriss		 To Phoenix Suns
Ryan Anderson
De'Anthony Melton
January 7, 2019[5] To Houston Rockets
Conditional 2020 second-round draft pick (Memphis)		 To Chicago Bulls
Michael Carter-Williams
Cash considerations
January 22, 2019[6] To Houston Rockets
Draft rights to Tadija Dragićević		 To Chicago Bulls
Carmelo Anthony
Draft rights to Jon Diebler
Cash considerations
February 7, 2019[7][8][9] To Houston Rockets
Option to swap 2021 second-round draft picks		 To Philadelphia 76ers
James Ennis III
To Houston Rockets
Iman Shumpert (from Sacramento)
Wade Baldwin IV
Nik Stauskas
2021 second-round draft pick (Milwaukee)
Option to swap 2020 second-round draft picks		 To Cleveland Cavaliers
Brandon Knight
Marquese Chriss
Conditional 2019 first-round draft pick
2022 second-round draft pick
To Houston Rockets
Cash considerations		 To Indiana Pacers
Wade Baldwin IV
Nik Stauskas
Draft rights to Maarty Leunen
2021 second-round draft pick (Milwaukee)

Re-signed
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

Additions
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

Subtractions
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

Awards
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]

References
  1. "Houston Rockets Franchise Index | Basketball-Reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  2. "2018-19 Houston Rockets Roster and Regular season Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  3. "Mavericks get center Chinanu Onuaku in trade with Rockets". NBA.com. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  4. "Rockets Complete Four Player Trade with Suns". NBA.com. August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  5. "Rockets Trade Michael Carter-Williams to Chicago". NBA.com/rockets. January 7, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  6. "Reports: Rockets agree to trade Carmelo Anthony to Bulls". NBA.com. January 22, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  7. "Rockets to trade James Ennis III to 76ers to get under luxury tax". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. February 8, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  8. "Cavs Acquire Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss Plus Picks in Three-Team Trade". NBA.com/cavaliers. February 7, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  9. "Rockets trade Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin to Pacers; Indiana to waive pair". ESPN.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  10. "Rockets Re-sign Chris Paul". NBA.com/rockets. July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  11. "Rockets Re-sign Gerald Green". NBA.com/rockets. July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  12. "Rockets Re-sign Clint Capela". NBA.com/rockets. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  13. "Rockets Sign Free-Agent Michael Carter-Williams". NBA.com/rockets. July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  14. "Rockets Sign Carmelo Anthony". NBA.com/rockets. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  15. "Suns Sign Trevor Ariza, 14-year veteran and NBA Champion". NBA.com/suns. July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  16. "Press Release: L.A. Clippers signed forward Luc Mbah a Moute". NBA.com/clippers. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  17. "James Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. December 17, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  18. "James Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  19. "D'Antoni Western Conference Coach of the Month". NBA.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  20. "Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Month". NBA.com. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  21. "James Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  22. "NBA All-Star 2019 starters, captains revealed". NBA.com. January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  23. "Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Month". NBA.com. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  24. "James Harden Named Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com/rockets. March 25, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  25. "James Harden Named NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for March/April". NBA.com/rockets. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
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