2019–20 Houston Rockets season
The 2019–20 Houston Rockets season was the 53rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 49th in the Houston area.[1]
| 2019–20 Houston Rockets season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Mike D'Antoni |
| General manager | Daryl Morey |
| Owners | Tilman Fertitta |
| Arena | Toyota Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 44–28 (.611) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Southwest) Conference: 4th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Conference Semifinals (lost to Lakers 1–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest |
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 |
After what was an uneventful off-season for the Rockets, failing to land Houston native Jimmy Butler, the Rockets acquired star point guard Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Chris Paul and a trove of future draft considerations, reuniting Westbrook with former Thunder teammate James Harden, who had played his first 3 seasons with the Thunder and was part of the 2011–12 Thunder team that appeared in the 2012 NBA Finals.
With the San Antonio Spurs missing the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season, the Rockets would hold the longest active playoff streak in the NBA qualifying every year since the 2012–13 season.
In February, Westbrook and Harden became the first teammates in NBA history to average 30+ points and 5+ assists per game.[2]
This marked the team's third straight divisional championship, as well as James Harden's 8th straight All-Star selection as a Rocket.
In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook and Harden's former team, in Game 7 of the first round. However, in the Western Conference semifinals, they would lose in 5 games to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers.
COVID-19 Impact
The season was suspended by the league officials following the games of March 11[3] after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19.[4] On June 26 the NBA and National Basketball Players Association finalized a comprehensive plan, and it was announced that the 2019–20 season would resume in the NBA Bubble on July 30, with health and safety precautions and rules enforceable by warning, fine, suspension, or campus ban, including establishing a hotline for players to report violations of COVID-19 restrictions, a single-site campus at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida and an intentional goal to take "collective action to combat systemic racism and promote social justice."[5][6] Fourteen-year NBA veteran player Thabo Sefolosha opted out of continuing on with the team in the wake of the pandemic.[7] Westbrook also tested positive for the virus and the diagnosis was formally announced in July prior to the team heading to Orlando.[8] He flew to Orlando to join the team on July 20 following NBA mandated quarantine requirements and two negative COVID-19 test results.[9] The league's July 20 COVID-19 testing update stated that no players of the 346 at the "NBA bubble" complex had tested positive within the week prior.[10] A July 16 news report stated that the Rockets were the first NBA team publicly known to file a lawsuit to recover COVID-19-related losses by suing Affiliated FM Insurance for denying its business-interruption claim.[11]
Draft picks
The Rockets did not hold any picks for the 2019 NBA draft.[12] This was the third time in franchise history that they did not hold any picks in the draft; the last time was in 1989.
Roster
| 2019–20 Houston Rockets roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Standings
Division
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Houston Rockets | 44 | 28 | .611 | – | 24–12 | 20–16 | 8–5 | 72 |
| x – Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 32 | .573 | 2.5 | 20–18 | 23–14 | 10–4 | 75 |
| pi – Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 39 | .466 | 10.5 | 20–17 | 14–22 | 4–9 | 73 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 39 | .451 | 11.5 | 19–15 | 13–24 | 7–6 | 71 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 42 | .417 | 14.0 | 15–21 | 15–21 | 4–9 | 72 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Los Angeles Lakers * | 52 | 19 | .732 | – | 71 |
| 2 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 49 | 23 | .681 | 3.5 | 72 |
| 3 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 46 | 27 | .630 | 7.0 | 73 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 5 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 6 | x – Utah Jazz | 44 | 28 | .611 | 8.5 | 72 |
| 7 | x – Dallas Mavericks | 43 | 32 | .573 | 11.0 | 75 |
| 8 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 35 | 39 | .473 | 18.5 | 74 |
| 9 | pi – Memphis Grizzlies | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 10 | Phoenix Suns | 34 | 39 | .466 | 19.0 | 73 |
| 11 | San Antonio Spurs | 32 | 39 | .451 | 20.0 | 71 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 31 | 41 | .431 | 21.5 | 72 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 42 | .417 | 22.5 | 72 |
| 14 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 19 | 45 | .297 | 29.5 | 64 |
| 15 | Golden State Warriors | 15 | 50 | .231 | 34.0 | 65 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2019 preseason game log Total: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
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| 2019–20 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Playoffs
| 2020 playoff game log Total: 5–7 (home: 4–2; road: 1–5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First round: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3)
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Conference Semi-finals: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2020 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Transactions
Trades
| July 16, 2019[13] | To Houston Rockets Russell Westbrook |
To Oklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul 2024 and 2026 protected first round picks First-round pick swaps in 2021 and 2025 |
| February 5, 2020[14] | To Denver Nuggets Keita Bates-Diop (from Minnesota) Shabazz Napier (from Minnesota) Noah Vonleh (from Minnesota) Gerald Green (from Houston) 2020 HOU first-round pick |
To Atlanta Hawks Clint Capela (from Houston) Nene (from Houston) |
| To Houston Rockets Robert Covington (from Minnesota) Jordan Bell (from Minnesota) 2024 ATL second-round pick |
To Minnesota Timberwolves Malik Beasley (from Denver) Juan Hernangómez (from Denver) Jarred Vanderbilt (from Denver) Evan Turner (from Atlanta) 2020 ATL first-round pick | |
| February 6, 2020[15] | To Houston Rockets Bruno Caboclo |
To Memphis Grizzlies Jordan Bell Second-round pick swap in 2023 |
Re-signed
| Player | Signed | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Danuel House | July 16, 2019 | 3-yr, $11.15M s |
| Austin Rivers | July 16, 2019 | 2-yr minimum salary ($4,543,981)
2020–1 player option |
| Gerald Green | July 22, 2019 | 1-yr minimum salary ($2,594,753) |
| Eric Gordon | September 4, 2019 | 4-yr/$75.6M extension
2023–4 not guaranteed |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| William McDowell-White | July 3, 2019 |  Brose Bamberg |
| Shamorie Ponds | July 3, 2019 | St. John's Red Storm |
| Chris Clemons | July 5, 2019 | Campbell Fighting Camels |
| Tyson Chandler | July 18, 2019 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Ben McLemore | July 23, 2019 | Sacramento Kings |
| Anthony Bennett | July 25, 2019 | Agua Caliente Clippers |
| Thabo Sefolosha | September 23, 2019 | Utah Jazz |
| Ryan Anderson | September 27, 2019 | Miami Heat |
| Jeff Green | February 18, 2020 | Utah Jazz |
| DeMarre Carroll | February 20, 2020 | San Antonio Spurs |
| Luc Mbah a Moute | July 7, 2020 | Los Angeles Clippers |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Kenneth Faried | Free agency | Zhenjiang Lions |
| Deyonta Davis | Waived | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| Chris Chiozza | Waived | Washington Wizards |
| William McDowell-White | Waived | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Anthony Bennett | Waived | — |
| Shamorie Ponds | Waived | Toronto Raptors / Raptors 905 |
| Ray Spalding | Waived | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Jaron Blossomgame | Waived | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
References
- "Houston Rockets Franchise Index | Basketball-Reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- "Russell Westbrook, James Harden finish historic month in style". usatoday.com. March 2020. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
- "NBA to suspend season following Wednesday's games". NBA.com. March 11, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- Reynolds, Tim (March 11, 2020). "NBA suspends season until further notice, over coronavirus". NBA.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- "Fans React After Report That NBA Players Are Using Bubble 'Snitch Hotline'". Complex. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- Staff, From NBA com. "Everything you need to know about the 2019-20 NBA season restart". NBA.com. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- "Rockets have open roster spot after Thabo Sefolosha opts out". July 2020.
- "Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook has COVID-19". July 13, 2020.
- "Rockets star Russell Westbrook arrives in Orlando a week after announcing positive COVID-19 test". July 20, 2020.
- "P. J. Tucker, Russell Westbrook explain strong support for masks". Rockets Wire. July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- Young, Jabari (July 16, 2020). "Houston Rockets sue insurance company for denying its coronavirus business-interruption claim". CNBC. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- "Full 2019 NBA Draft Order". tankathon.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- "Rockets Acquire Eight-Time All-Star Russell Westbrook". Houston Rockets. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- "Rockets Complete Four-Team Trade". NBA.com. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- "Memphis Grizzlies acquire Jordan Bell from Houston Rockets". NBA.com. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.