The 2017–18 Houston Rockets season was the 51st season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 47th in the Houston area.[1] The Rockets acquired star point guard Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers due to a multitude of trades after the 2017 NBA draft on June 28, 2017, as well as for being the team's first under current owner Tilman Fertitta. The Rockets also broke their franchise record for most wins in a season with their 59th win against the New Orleans Pelicans, eventually totalling 65 wins on the season. With a loss by the Warriors on March 29, the Rockets clinched the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history, which then followed to clinch the best record in this season following a Raptors loss against the Celtics.[2]
| 2017–18 Houston Rockets season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Mike D'Antoni |
| General manager | Daryl Morey |
| Owner(s) | Tilman Fertitta |
| Arena | Toyota Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 65–17 (.793) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Southwest) Conference: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference Finals (lost to Warriors 3–4) |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Local media | |
| Television | AT&T SportsNet Southwest |
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 |
In the playoffs, the Rockets defeated the 8th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the First round in five games, advancing to the conference semifinals, where they defeated the Utah Jazz in five games. They lost the conference finals to the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors in seven games. During game seven of that series, with the chance to go to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995, the Rockets lost 101–92 and set an NBA Playoff record by missing 27 straight 3-point shots.[3][4]
Draft picks
edit| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College / club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 43 | Isaiah Hartenstein | PF/C |  Germany
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Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) |
Roster
edit| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Standings
editDivision
edit| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| z – Houston Rockets | 65 | 17 | .793 | – | 34–7 | 31–10 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – New Orleans Pelicans | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17.0 | 24–17 | 24–17 | 9–7 | 82 |
| x – San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 35 | .573 | 18.0 | 33–8 | 14–27 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41.0 | 15–26 | 9–32 | 5–11 | 82 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 22 | 60 | .268 | 43.0 | 16–25 | 6–35 | 5–11 | 82 |
Conference
edit| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Houston Rockets * | 65 | 17 | .793 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Golden State Warriors * | 58 | 24 | .707 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Portland Trail Blazers * | 49 | 33 | .598 | 16.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Utah Jazz | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – New Orleans Pelicans | 48 | 34 | .585 | 17.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – San Antonio Spurs | 47 | 35 | .573 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Minnesota Timberwolves | 47 | 35 | .573 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Denver Nuggets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 19.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Clippers | 42 | 40 | .512 | 23.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Los Angeles Lakers | 35 | 47 | .427 | 30.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Sacramento Kings | 27 | 55 | .329 | 38.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Dallas Mavericks | 24 | 58 | .293 | 41.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Memphis Grizzlies | 22 | 60 | .268 | 43.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 21 | 61 | .256 | 44.0 | 82 |
Game log
editPreseason
edit| 2017 pre-season game log Total: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pre-season: 4–1 (home: 1–1; road: 3–0)
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| 2017–18 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
edit| 2017–18 game log Total: 65–17 (home: 34–7; road: 31–10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 5–3 (home: 1–2; road: 4–1)
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November
: 12–1 (home: 7–1; road: 5–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
December
: 9–5 (home: 6–2; road: 3–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
January
: 10–4 (home: 6–1; road: 4–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
February
: 12–0 (home: 4–0; road: 8–0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
March
: 14–1 (home: 8–0; road: 6–1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
April
: 3–3 (home: 2–1; road: 1–2)
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| 2017–18 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
edit| 2018 playoff game log Total: 11–6 (home: 7–3; road: 4–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
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Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 2–1; road: 2–0)
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Conference Finals: 3–4 (home: 2–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2018 playoff schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Player statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. J. Tucker | 82 | 34 | 27.8 | .390 | .371 | .717 | 5.6 | .9 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.1 |
| Clint Capela | 74 | 74 | 27.5 | .652 | .000 | .560 | 10.8 | .9 | .8 | 1.9 | 13.9 |
| James Harden | 72 | 72 | 35.4 | .449 | .367 | .858 | 5.4 | 8.8 | 1.8 | .7 | 30.4 |
| Eric Gordon | 69 | 30 | 31.2 | .428 | .359 | .809 | 2.5 | 2.2 | .6 | .4 | 18.0 |
| Trevor Ariza | 67 | 67 | 33.9 | .412 | .368 | .854 | 4.4 | 1.6 | 1.5 | .2 | 11.7 |
| Ryan Anderson | 66 | 50 | 26.1 | .431 | .386 | .774 | 5.0 | .9 | .4 | .3 | 9.3 |
| Luc Mbah a Moute | 61 | 15 | 25.6 | .481 | .364 | .684 | 3.0 | .9 | 1.2 | .4 | 7.5 |
| Chris Paul | 58 | 58 | 31.8 | .460 | .380 | .919 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 1.7 | .2 | 18.6 |
| Nenê | 52 | 4 | 14.6 | .569 | .000 | .636 | 3.4 | .9 | .5 | .3 | 6.5 |
| Tarik Black | 51 | 2 | 10.5 | .591 | .091 | .460 | 3.2 | .3 | .4 | .6 | 3.5 |
| Gerald Green | 41 | 2 | 22.7 | .407 | .369 | .850 | 3.2 | .6 | .6 | .4 | 12.1 |
| Joe Johnson† | 23 | 1 | 22.0 | .381 | .279 | .952 | 2.8 | 1.7 | .3 | .0 | 6.0 |
| Bobby Brown | 20 | 0 | 5.8 | .328 | .275 | .500 | .4 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Zhou Qi | 18 | 0 | 6.9 | .188 | .105 | .667 | 1.2 | .1 | .1 | .8 | 1.2 |
| Brianté Weber† | 13 | 0 | 9.1 | .409 | .444 | 1.000 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .8 | .2 | 2.0 |
| Demetrius Jackson† | 12 | 0 | 5.3 | .286 | .000 | .9 | .4 | .3 | .1 | .7 | |
| R. J. Hunter | 5 | 1 | 9.0 | .350 | .214 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .6 | .6 | .0 | 3.8 |
| Markel Brown | 4 | 0 | 7.8 | .286 | .200 | 1.3 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 | |
| Troy Williams† | 4 | 0 | 4.3 | .222 | .000 | .333 | 1.0 | .3 | .3 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Tim Quarterman | 3 | 0 | 4.3 | .333 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Aaron Jackson | 1 | 0 | 35.0 | .333 | .250 | .500 | 3.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 8.0 |
| Chinanu Onuaku | 1 | 0 | 22.0 | .400 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 | ||
| Brandan Wright† | 1 | 0 | 15.0 | .667 | 2.0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | ||
| Isaiah Canaan† | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | .000 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Playoffs
edit| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | 17 | 17 | 36.5 | .410 | .299 | .887 | 5.2 | 6.8 | 2.2 | .6 | 28.6 |
| Trevor Ariza | 17 | 17 | 34.2 | .360 | .286 | .742 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | .1 | 8.8 |
| P. J. Tucker | 17 | 17 | 33.5 | .481 | .467 | .667 | 6.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .8 | 8.9 |
| Clint Capela | 17 | 17 | 30.6 | .660 | .473 | 11.6 | 1.3 | .8 | 2.1 | 12.7 | |
| Eric Gordon | 17 | 2 | 32.3 | .380 | .331 | .836 | 2.6 | 1.6 | .6 | .5 | 15.4 |
| Gerald Green | 17 | 0 | 16.0 | .394 | .375 | .857 | 2.9 | .1 | .2 | .4 | 6.3 |
| Chris Paul | 15 | 15 | 34.5 | .459 | .374 | .830 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 2.0 | .3 | 21.1 |
| Nenê | 11 | 0 | 9.7 | .600 | .636 | 2.5 | .5 | .2 | .5 | 2.8 | |
| Ryan Anderson | 11 | 0 | 8.6 | .350 | .333 | 1.2 | .5 | .3 | .1 | 1.7 | |
| Luc Mbah a Moute | 9 | 0 | 16.6 | .250 | .200 | .571 | 2.4 | .3 | .7 | .4 | 2.8 |
| Joe Johnson | 8 | 0 | 6.8 | .353 | .000 | 1.3 | .4 | .0 | .1 | 1.5 | |
| Tarik Black | 7 | 0 | 2.7 | .250 | .9 | .3 | .0 | .1 | .3 | ||
| Aaron Jackson | 7 | 0 | 2.4 | .500 | .000 | .500 | .6 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| Zhou Qi | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.000 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 | ||
| Chinanu Onuaku | 1 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Rockets only.
Transactions
editTrades
edit| June 22, 2017 | To Houston Rockets Future second-round pick |
To Memphis Grizzlies Draft right to Dillon Brooks (pick 45) |
| June 28, 2017[5] | To Houston Rockets Ryan Kelly |
To Atlanta Hawks Cash considerations |
| June 28, 2017[6] | To Houston Rockets DeAndre Liggins |
To Dallas Mavericks Cash considerations |
| June 28, 2017[6] | To Houston Rockets Darrun Hilliard |
To Detroit Pistons Cash considerations |
| June 28, 2017[7][6] | To Houston Rockets Shawn Long |
To Philadelphia 76ers 2018 second round pick Cash considerations |
| June 28, 2017[6] | To Houston Rockets Tim Quarterman |
To Portland Trail Blazers Cash considerations |
| June 28, 2017[6] | To Houston Rockets Chris Paul |
To Los Angeles Clippers Sam Dekker Patrick Beverley Lou Williams DeAndre Liggins Darrun Hilliard Kyle Wiltjer Montrezl Harrell 2018 first round draft Cash considerations |
| June 29, 2017 | To Houston Rockets Jarrod Uthoff |
To Dallas Mavericks Cash considerations |
Free agency
editRe-signed
edit| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Nenê[8] | 4-year contract worth $15 million |
| James Harden[9] | 4-year contract extension worth $228 million |
| Troy Williams[10] | 3-year contract worth $4.8 million |
| Bobby Brown[11] | 1-year contract worth $1.5 million |
Additions
edit| Player | Signed | Former team |
|---|---|---|
| Zhou Qi[12] | 4-year contract worth $5.5 million |  Xinjiang Flying Tigers
|
| P. J. Tucker[13] | 4-year contract worth $32 million | Toronto Raptors |
| Luc Mbah a Moute[14] | 1-year contract worth $2.1 million | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Tarik Black[15] | 1-year contract worth $3.2 million | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Demetrius Jackson | Two-way contract | Boston Celtics |
| Brianté Weber | Two-way contract | Charlotte Hornets |
| Isaiah Canaan[16] | 1-year non-guaranteed contract worth $1.5 million | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Gerald Green[17] | 1-year non-guaranteed contract | Milwaukee Bucks |
| R. J. Hunter | Two-way contract | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| Markel Brown | Two-way contract | Oklahoma City Blue |
| Brandan Wright | Veteran's minimum prorated contract | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Joe Johnson | Veteran's minimum prorated contract | Sacramento Kings |
| Le'Bryan Nash | 10-day contract |  Busan KT Sonicboom
|
| Tim Quarterman | 2-year non-guaranteed contract | Agua Caliente Clippers |
| Aaron Jackson | 2-year non-guaranteed contract | Beijing Ducks
|
Subtractions
edit| Player | Reason left | New team |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Taylor | Waived | Atlanta Hawks |
| Isaiah Canaan | Waived | Phoenix Suns |
| Demetrius Jackson | Waived | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Brianté Weber | Waived | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| Bobby Brown | Waived |  Olympiacos
|
| Troy Williams | Waived | New York Knicks |
| Le'Bryan Nash | Not resigned | n/a |
| Tim Quarterman | Waived | n/a |
Awards
edit| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | October 23, 2017 | [18] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | November 6, 2017 | [19] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Month (November) | December 1, 2017 | [20] |
| Mike D'Antoni | Western Conference Coach of the Month (November) | December 1, 2017 | [21] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 4, 2017 | [22] |
| Chris Paul | Western Conference Player of the Week | December 18, 2017 | [23] |
| James Harden | NBA All-Star | January 18, 2018 | [24] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | February 5, 2018 | [25] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | February 12, 2018 | [26] |
| Mike D'Antoni | Western Conference Coach of the Month (February) | March 1, 2018 | [27] |
| James Harden | All-NBA First Team | May 24, 2018 | [28] |
| Daryl Morey | NBA Executive of the Year | June 25, 2018 | [29] |
| James Harden | NBA Most Valuable Player | June 25, 2018 | [29] |
References
edit- ^ "Houston Rockets Franchise Index | Basketball-Reference.com". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
- ^ "Houston Rockets clinch No. 1 seed in Western Conference playoffs". NBA.com. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
- ^ "Rockets Break Playoff Record With 27 Consecutive Missed Three-Pointers". SI.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ "All 27 straight missed Rockets 3-pointers during Game 7 vs. Warriors". youtube.com. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Hawks Trade Ryan Kelly to Houston in Exchange for Cash Considerations". nba.com/hawks. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Rockets Acquire Nine-Time All-Star Chris Paul". nba.com/rockets. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- ^ "Sixers Acquire Second-Round Pick From Houston". NBA.com. June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets re-sign free agent Nenê". NBA.com/rockets. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets sign James Harden to four-year contract extension". NBA.com/rockets. July 8, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets re-sign Troy Williams". NBA.com/rockets. July 25, 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets announce training camp roster". NBA.com/rockets. September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets sign Zhou Qi". NBA.com/rockets. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets sign free agent P. J. Tucker". NBA.com/rockets. July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
- ^ "Thunder signs Raymond Felton". NBA.com/thunder. July 10, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets sign free agent Tarik Black". NBA.com/rockets. July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
- ^ "Rockets sign free agent Isaiah Canaan". NBA.com/rockets. October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ "Houston Rockets sign free agent Gerald Green". NBA.com. December 28, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden Named NBA's Players Of The Week". basketball.realgm.com. RealGM. October 23, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ "Kristaps Porzingis, James Harden Named Players Of The Week". basketball.realgm.com. RealGM. November 6, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
- ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, Houston Rockets' James Harden named Kia Players of the Month". NBA.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Boston Celtics' Brad Stevens, Houston Rockets' Mike D'Antoni named Coaches of Month". NBA.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Harden Named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com/rockets. December 4, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Chris Paul Player of the Week". NBA.com. December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ "LeBron James, Steph Curry named captains as All-Star starters are revealed". NBA.com. January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- ^ "James Harden Named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com/rockets. February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ "Harden Named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week". NBA.com/rockets. February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
- ^ "Mike D'Antoni Named Western Conference Coach of the Month". NBA.com/rockets. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ^ "LeBron James, James Harden unanimously selected to All-NBA First Team". NBA.com. May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ a b "2018 NBA Awards Complete List of Winners". NBA.com. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
External links
edit- "The Rockets rode 3-pointers from the highest of highs to the depths of Hell". SB Nation. June 21, 2018 – via YouTube.