Ep. 121: Eric Gordon extension and Nene re-signs w/ Forrest Walker

Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) and Forrest Walker (@DUNOTS) review Eric Gordon's 4-year, $75.6 million contract extension for the Rockets as well as going over Nene returning for the team. The two also lightly preview the 2019-20 season for the Rockets.


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Report: Chris Paul Out for Game 6 With Hamstring Strain

By Matthew Cardenas on May 25, 2018

Follow @CardenasMaLWOS

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Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports has reported that guard Chris Paul will miss Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday after suffering a hamstring strain at the end of Game 5. Paul finished the game with 20 points (18 in the second half), 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He is currently in his first ever Conference Finals as the Rockets are up 3-2 on the Golden State Warriors.

Rockets star Chris Paul will miss Game 6 of West Finals with a hamstring strain.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 25, 2018

This is where the hamstring strain occurred for Paul. Notice how he grabs his hamstring immediately after falling down. Paul was unable to finish the final minute of the game.

According to Ben DuBose of SportsTalk790, Paul is expected to travel with the team to Oakland for Game 6. Eric Gordon will start in his place. Paul's status for Game 7 (if possible) is currently unclear.

Injuries keep getting in the way for Paul. He has worked tirelessly to finally reach the Conference Finals, and now this injury occurs. It has been a fantastic first Conference Finals for Paul as he has been able to take over the workload while James Harden has struggled from the field in recent games.

Paul has worked through a hamstring injury before. He suffered the same injury during Game 7 of the first round of the 2015 Playoffs against the Spurs and was able to finish the game. Games 1 and 2 of the second round against the Rockets is when Paul missed time. If the Rockets are able to finish the series in Oakland on Saturday, that takes some pressure off the situation as Paul would have time to recover until the beginning of the NBA Finals on May 31st.

Luc Mbah a Moute was a DNP for both Games 4 and 5. Look for that to change in Game 6 with Paul's absence. Although the shoulder injury is still lingering, his production will desperately be needed if the Rockets want to close this series out.

Rockets 123, Celtics 120 - Clawing Their Way

By Forrest Walker on March 3, 2018
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It was a brutal, close game against a top-tier team, and the Houston Rockets pulled through. The Boston Celtics played a white-hot game complete with deadly shooting and the Rockets pulled through. Boston closed the first half on a 10-0 run and were up nearly the entire second half. It still wasn't enough to close the door on the Houston Rockets. Harden and his crew may not have played their best game but they held on and never let go of the rope. The clawed and scratched their way to their 15th win in a row in an amazing thriller.

Rockets 121, Blazers 112 - Bad Blood

By Forrest Walker on January 10, 2018
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The Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers don't like each other. In case anyone's unclear, there's a certain animus that came with Damian Lillard's amazing, heartbreaking buzzer-beater to seal Portland's first-round victory over the Rockets in the 2014 playoffs. There's little love lost when James Harden and Chris Paul have been standing in the way of Lillard's All-Star berths for years. Paul and Lillard both play with the sort of intensity that leads to spats and spite. All of that was on display in Houston's win over the Blazers tonight.

Rockets 120, Jazz 99 - Didn't Even Matter

By Forrest Walker on December 18, 2017
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The Utah Jazz had won two of three quarters and led going into the fourth. They had harried and frustrated the Houston Rockets all night, and led by eight with just under ten minutes left in the game. The Jazz had dragged themselves into the final furlong against the white-hot Rockets. They give it their all. They nearly got there. But in the end, it didn't even matter. The Rockets won by 21.

Rockets 130, Pelicans 123 - Best Not Miss

The New Orleans Pelicans entered Toyota Center missing Anthony Davis and labeled massive underdogs. The Houston Rockets were on a nine game tear, all but one of those a double-digit win. The Pelicans had nothing to lose and no reason to hold back. For the majority of the game, they played with the looseness and abandon fitting a team in their position. They had a real shot at the team with the best record, longest win streak, and MVP frontrunner. They did the impossible and got the Rockets dead in their sights.

But if you come at the king, you best not miss. They learned this the hard way tonight.

Rockets 118, Lakers 95 - Cruise Control

The Houston Rockets are on cruise control. The Los Angeles Lakers may have put the screws to the Golden State Warriors the other day and forced them into overtime, but had no such luck against the Rockets. The Lakers started out hot, as every team seems to against the Rockets, but were toast by the end of the third quarter. The biggest question left at the end of this game is, "why didn't the starters leave the game sooner," and that uneventful state is the best case scenario for the Rockets.

Red Nation Hoops Ep. 63: James Harden's Hot Start + CP3's Imminent Return

Salman Ali (@RedNationHoops), Forrest Walker (@DUNOTS), and special guest Dave DuFour (@DaveDuFourNBA) discuss the following:

-James Harden's historic 56 point performance against Utah and his hot start in general
-The Rockets continued success and how Clint Capela and Eric Gordon have played huge roles in it
-How good can the Rockets be defensively this season?
-Chris Paul's imminent return and how it will impact the Rockets

Listen to The Red Nation Hoops Podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.

 

Rockets 111, Grizzlies 96 - Vengeance

The Houston Rockets have three losses on the season, and the Memphis Grizzlies account for 67% of them. The Grizzlies headed to Houston tonight, hoping to claim the season series and bring that number up to 75% of the Rockets' losses. Unfortunately for them, the Rockets have been sliding ever more steadily into their groove and have largely figured out how to compensate for the lack of viable guards. The Rockets are rolling, and the Grizzlies got rolled in the process.

Rockets 119, Hawks 104 - Cruising

Photo by Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Houston Rockets have had their share of troubles recently. Their shiny new hall-of-fame level point guard, Chris Paul, has missed nine out of ten games. Dings, dents, scrapes and stomachaches have shortened their rotation and prevented them from playing to their potential. They were dragged into and through the mud by the Memphis Grizzlies on two separate, non-consecutive occasions. They are nowhere near the team they expected to be, and the team they probably would be with some better breaks. They are not, however, anywhere near losing to the Atlanta Hawks. In probably the least interesting game of the season, the Houston Rockets ran away with this one, quietly and swiftly asserting their dominance and moving on.

Red Nation Hoops Ep. 62: First Two Weeks In Review

Going over the first two weeks of the season with Forrest Walker (@DUNOTS).

Topics include:

-Tilman Fertita Officially New Owner
-Rockets win over the Warriors on Opening Night
-Chris Paul's knee injury
-Eric Gordon looks incredible
-Discussion 2019 Lebron chatter
-Early Trends that we've noticed

Listen to The Red Nation Hoops Podcast on iTunes or Google Play Music.

Rockets 109, Hornets 93 - Staying in Control

Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Houston Rockets' 16 point win over the Charlotte Hornets may have included a couple lead changes in the first half and some dips into the two-possession range later in the game, but this was never Charlotte's game to win. It was Houston's game to lose, and like an elite team should, they chose not to let this game slip out of their grasp. They played more minutes than they would have liked, but with so many players injured, the Rockets chose to seal the deal on this win, notch a triple double for James Harden, and move on to Memphis to face the Grizzlies again tomorrow.

Should We Worry About The Rockets' Offense?

By Kyle Chilek on October 26, 2017
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Just five games into the season, the Rockets offense has not been what many imagined it would be, even when factoring in the absence of the team's biggest off-season acquisition, Chris Paul. After shooting their way to a top ten offensive rating of all time last season, they find themselves out of this season's top 10, at 11th so far. While on the surface 11th doesn't seem like anything to be disappointed in, when you compare offensive ratings between this year and last, you will see a difference of 6.7 points. That's about the same difference between last year's Warriors and Hornets. So this brings forth the question, is there systemic or personnel issues leading to this drop off, or is it just early season noise?

Rockets 105, Sixers 104 - Grand Theft

Wanted for crimes against basketball: The 2017-2018 Houston Rockets. They are now the most illegal team in the NBA after their last-second theft of this game from its rightful owners, the Philadelphia 76ers. Eric Gordon is known to be the ringleader, firing the fatal shot to beat the buzzer after a very larcenous late comeback. After trailing by eight with under two minutes to go, the already-unlawful Rockets took matters into their own hands and have fled Philadelphia with their stolen win in tow. Despite the Sixers' best efforts, all basketball decency was shredded by these perpetrators of Basketball Crime, now 4-1 on the season. Read below for more information on these suspects.

Rockets 122, Warriors 121 - Possibility

Photo by Mark Downey Lucid Images/Corbis via Getty Images

There was always the possibility the Houston Rockets could win their season opener on the road, on ring night against the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. It was a laughably slim chance, but it existed. We know how this season is going to turn out, but there's always some possibility that it might turn out differently. Tonight, that potential for an upset was realized. Tonight, the Rockets did what they always could have but never should have been able to do. Tonight the Houston Rockets opened up their season 1-0 after a victory over the Warriors. For one night this season, possibility remains alive.

Multiple Rockets Win at NBA Awards Show

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The Houston Rockets had their fingerprints all over the first annual NBA Awards Show on Monday night, having been nominated for several traditional and newly introduced fan-voted awards. At the end of the day, the Rockets laid claim to three separate awards…

✔️ Coach of the Year
RT to congratulate Coach D’Antoni! #NBAAwards

Details » https://t.co/7VqOHLZJwV pic.twitter.com/XOu0gkLSjl

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) June 27, 2017

In his first year as head coach of the Rockets, Mike D’Antoni made a drastic move by naming James Harden the full-time point guard. With a playmaker like Harden, D’Antoni could implement elements of his ‘Seven Seconds or Less’ offense – an offense that helped D’Antoni win Coach of the Year for the first time back in 2005. After being somewhat exiled from the NBA following failed coaching stints in Los Angeles and New York, D’Antoni’s efficient and explosive Rockets won 55 games (a 14-game improvement from the previous season) and completely flipped the narrative surrounding the team.

.@TheofficialEG10 is your #NBA Sixth Man of the Year! #NBAAwards

Details » https://t.co/Hw0KT2s3JV pic.twitter.com/tPR7wp9qsD

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) June 27, 2017

Eric Gordon – another first-year Rocket – won the Sixth Man of the Year Award by making contributions of 16 points per game on 40% shooting (37% from behind the three-point line). Perhaps a more important stat for 'Splash Gordon' is that he played 75 games this past season, the most since his rookie campaign in 2008-2009 (78). Gordon’s injury history was a major concern coming into the season, but his reduced role as a secondary scorer and playmaker allowed him to flourish in D’Antoni’s offense. He even won this year's Three-Point Shooting Contest during All-Star Weekend.

Patrick Beverley is the recipient of the 2016-17 NBA Hustle Award! #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/cmW51GINGy

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 27, 2017

Finally, Patrick Beverley was named the recipient of the NBA’s first ever Hustle Award. Beverley’s pesky defense and all-out hustle on both sides of the floor has earned the admiration and love of Rockets fans, but this season was somewhat of a breakout year for him nationally – at least, in a positive light. Per game, Pat averaged 9.5 points, 4.2 assists, and a very impressive 5.9 rebounds. Also, Beverley was named to the All-Defense First Team for the first time in his career – an achievement he has strived for throughout his NBA career.

James Harden was famously in the running for the 2016-2017 Most Valuable Player Award, but ultimately finished the race in second place. As somewhat of a consolation prize, however, Harden was the only player to be unanimously voted to the All-NBA First Team.

The Houston Rockets had a massive turnaround after a disastrous 2015-2016, and that turnaround (on and off the floor) was validated with these awards and nominations. In fact, this season saw the Rockets win an award for the first time since Aaron Brooks won Most Improved Player following the 2009-2010 season. You can check out Red Nation Hoops’ cases for why Mike D’Antoni and Eric Gordon deserved their awards here and here, respectively.

The Case for Eric Gordon: Sixth Man of the Year

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The Houston Rockets are going to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. There’s no point in trying to bury the lede, here. There’s no intrigue to this award, at least not this year. Any volatility the race may have had was undermined when Lou Williams was traded to the Rockets. The only contender other than Eric Gordon got shipped to Houston, and now the question is simply which one is seen as the sixth man. With just a few games left in the season, the answer is that Eric Gordon probably has his this locked down. Let’s look at why.

Report: Ryan Anderson Out Two Weeks with Ankle Sprain

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Mark Berman has announced per Mike D’Antoni that Rockets forward Ryan Anderson will be out for two weeks with a right ankle sprain. Anderson has also been dealing with a back injury throughout March. With there only being nine games left, there is a chance he will miss the remainder of the regular season.

https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/846056845261389824

Fortunately, this is the first time this season that Anderson will miss an extended period of time. Injuries were one of his biggest issues during his tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans. Hopefully, he can come back for a game or two at the end of the regular season to get back on track before the playoffs start.

Eric Gordon started in place of Anderson on Sunday, which is what we should expect to see for the remainder of his absence. With there being three guards now in the starting lineup, this is small ball at its finest. D’Antoni said that with Gordon in the starting lineup, it will open up the floor more for Lou Williams with the 2^nd unit. Gordon can get going earlier in games, which could help the Rockets finish games early and rest players as the postseason nears.

Anderson’s perimeter shooting will be needed to help the Rockets have a deep playoff run. Hopefully, his ankle is good to go in two weeks.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs New Orleans Pelicans

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Following a blowout victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rockets head to New Orleans to play the Pelicans for the third time this season, leading the season series 2-0. The Rockets are now riding a three game win streak and have won seven of their last ten, sitting at 47-21 and third place in the West. The leader in points, assists and rebounds for the Rockets is James Harden, who produces 28.9 points, 11.3 assists and 8 rebounds per game. On the season the Rockets rank 2nd in offense, 12th in defense, and 3rd in net rating.

The Pelicans have struggled more than many expected after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins, having won just three of their ten games he has appeared in. Now at 27-41 on the season and five and a half games out of the West's final playoff spot, the Pelicans will likely miss out on the postseason for their second straight season. The Pelicans are led in scoring and rebounding by Anthony Davis with 27.9 points and 11.8 rebounds, and in assists by Jrue Holiday, who dishes out 7.8 assists per game. The Pelicans currently rank 27th in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating, and just 23rd in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets will likely continue to start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Ryan Anderson at power forward, and Clint Capela at center to start the game, with competing Sixth Man of the Year candidates Eric Gordon and Lou Williams being the first guys off the bench.

After receiving a kick to the side in his last game, center DeMarcus Cousins did not return to the game, and it is unclear if he will be able to play against the Rockets on Friday. Assuming health, the Pelicans will likely start Jrue Holiday at point guard, one of Wayne Seldon and Hollis Thompson at shooting guard, Solomon Hill at small forward, Anthony Davis at power forward, and DeMarcus Cousins at center.

Three Things to Watch

• Firepower – When using Basketball References version of offensive rating, the Rockets are about tied for the highest offensive rating of all time. While many thought the Rockets would be great offensively, the degree to which they've succeeded on that end is mind boggling. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to keep up this high octane offense for the rest of the season.


• Cleaning Up – Going into the All-Star break the Rockets were just 24th in the NBA at taking care of the basketball, but since the break, and the addition of Lou Williams, the Rockets are all the way up at 7th, doing a much better job at avoiding turnovers. Watch to see if this is a fluke or if the Rockets have cleaned up their game, helping increase the efficiency of the Rockets offense.


• Season Series – The Rockets have won both of the two teams' previous match ups in convincing fashion, with the average margin of victory for them being an impressive 26 points. Watch to see if the Rockets keep up their dominance over their Southwest division rivals.

Prediction and Tip-Off

The Rockets are a much better team and the Pelicans may be entering tank mode, with their playoff chances getting smaller and smaller, so this is a game the Rockets should, and likely will, win big.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 P.M. Central Time in New Orleans on Thursday, March 17th. The game will be televised on ROOTSPORTS with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.

Game Preview: Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers

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After a huge come back victory over the the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets get ready for their 68th game against the Lakers.  The Rockets have now won six of their nine games since the All-Star break, building some positive momentum at 46-21 on the season. The Rockets are led in scoring, assists and rebounds by potential MVP James Harden at 29.1 points, 11.2 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game. The Rockets are ranked 2nd in offensive rating, 15th in defensive rating, and 3rd in overall net rating.

The Lakers seem to be in full blown tank mode, hoping to lose as many game as possible in order to secure a high draft pick. After losing all but one of their nine games since the break, the Lakers have the leagues second worst record, 20-47. The Lakers are led in scoring and assists by D'Angelo Russell at 15.1 point and 4.8 assists, and in rebounding by Julius Randle, who pulls in 8.6 rebounds per game. The Lakers currently rank 25th in offensive rating, 30th in defensive rating, and just 29th in net rating.

Starting Lineups

The Rockets will likely continue to start James Harden at point guard, Patrick Beverley at shooting guard, Trevor Ariza at small forward, Sam Dekker at power forward, and Clint Capela at center to start the game, with competing Sixth Man of the Year candidates Eric Gordon and Lou Williams being the first guys off the bench.

The Lakers, though fully healthy, have decided to sit Mozgov for the rest of the season in order to give their young players more time to develop. If they stick with their recent starting lineup, we can expect to see the Lakers start with Jordan Clarkson at point guard, David Nwaba at shooting guard, Brandon Ingram at small forward, Julius Randle at center, and Ivaca Zubac at center. No, I didn't make two of those names up.

Three Things to Watch

• Third and Final Match Up – After blowing the first game of the season to this Lakers team, the Rockets demolished the Lakers in their next meeting by nearly 40 points, behind the usual three point barrage. Watch to see if the Rockets are able to repeat their dominant performance in the third and final game between the two teams.


• Five Straight – Thanks to a Trailblazers loss and the win over the Cavs, the Rockets have clinched their fifth straight playoff appearance. Watch to see if the Rockets take their foot off the pedal some down the stretch, as they are almost a lock for the third seed in the West, four games above fourth, and six-and-a-half below second.


• Brewer Back – After being traded to the Lakers at this year's trade deadline, veteran wing Corey Brewer returns to Toyota center for the first time. Watch to see how the crowd reacts to the former transition dynamo upon his return, and how he looks on his new team.

Prediction and Tip-Off

If the Rockets don't win this game, I'll eat my shoe. I am very confident in the Rockets ability to beat down this Lakers team just waiting for the season to end, even if the shots aren't falling

Tip-off will be at 8:00 P.M. Central Time in Houston on Wednesday, March 15th. The game will be televised on ROOTSPORTS with the radio broadcast on Sports Talk 790-AM.