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Rockets Try and Close Road Trip with a Victory in Season’s First Texas Battle

Now officially ten games into the season, no one expected the Rockets would be below .500, with 4-6 record. We all know the excuses. Injuries. New players. A hangover from winning a franchise-record 65 games last season. There are no more excuses for these Houston Rockets. And, as of a few hours ago, Jimmy Butler’s not coming to spur Houston to the necessary motivation and intensity that he brings when he steps on the court. Houston’s most sought after player in the trade market (and really the key piece the team needed) is now a Philadelphia 76er. The Rockets need to accept the fact that they need to play better as a cohesive unit if they want to be the competitive force they were from beginning to end last season. James Harden will try and out-perform Spurs newcomer and All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan in a matchup between two Texas teams coming off losses. The Spurs, losers of two straight, are certainly going to be prepared as ever for this game. Coach Pop tore into the team after their loss to Miami, and the best coach in the NBA rarely ever loses 3 games in a row. The Rockets hope Chris Paul will bounce back from a less-than-stellar effort, and need to see Clint Capela out-duel Spurs All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the battle for the boards in the post. Carmelo Anthony is out for tonight’s game due to an illness. It would be nice to see James Ennis get a decent chunk of playing time but the man can’t stay out of foul trouble to save his life. Due to Anthony’s absence, tonight is Ennis’ perfect opportunity to play plenty of minutes if he can avoid fouls, which will be difficult as he will be tasked with defending San Antonio’s best player, lethal scoring swingman DeMar DeRozan (who’s off to a great start to the season playing with a chip on his shoulder). If the Rockets can contain DeRozan and Aldridge, they have a great chance at closing their road trip on a victorious note. Although, if the Rockets hustle game isn’t at peak level, they will have a tough time trying to gut out a victory over a hungry Spurs team that is primed to bounce back from losing their previous two games. Everyone on Houston’s roster needs to play with “PJ” level hustle (meaning everyone hustles with the effort of PJ Tucker, the NBA’s best at that intangible). If the Rockets can win the effort battle, play smart, and communicate together on the defensive end of the floor, they’ll have a fighter’s chance to win tonight in the Alamo City. It sure won’t be easy. Look for this to be one of the best all around games so far from both teams. Expect a close, tough-fought battle from two of the West’s best. Hopefully, the Rockets have just enough ammo to overpower the Spurs.

 AT&T Center – San Antonio, Texas

7:30 PM CT – NBA TV, ATT Sportsnet

Houston’s Offense Gets Thunderstruck in 98-80 Loss to OKC

 Everything was in line for the Rockets to get their fourth straight win… No Westbrook, Thunder played the previous night, Houston had two days of rest… until the game began. The Thunder scored the first 6 points of the game, never looked back, and won easily. The Rockets lost this game the way they’ve lost their previous five defeats. They trailed early, and were never really in the game, as it’s become evident that Houston has some serious problems that need fixing if they want to be considered title contenders once again. The Rockets followed up their best win of the season in Indiana with their worse loss of the season Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The offense was historically bad. Especially in this era, where teams rarely score below 90, the Rockets barely managed to get 80 points on the board. 35 points in the second half just is not good enough with the talent Houston has on its roster. Not a single Rocket scored 20 points or more in an entire game for the first time I can remember in a very, very, LONG time. Carmelo Anthony’s return was disastrous. Anthony didn’t even see the ball go through the hoop (his lone two points were courtesy of a goaltending call). James Harden, Clint Capela, and Chris Paul all had below average games for themselves. Eric Gordon, who was rumored to play, didn’t feel good enough to give it a go. Hopefully EG’s return will spark a much needed fuse for this Rockets team that needs to turn the heat up. This loss shows what happens when the shots aren’t falling. Last season, when the shots weren’t falling, at least the Rockets were still making games competitive. Houston will need to reassemble their collective mindsets in order to get back to their slogan, Run As One. When the Rockets “Run As One”, they’re one of the league’s most lethal teams. The fact that they fail to maximize usage of their versatile weaponry to beat teams only frustrates the most disciplined viewers, and makes the casual fans tune out. The Rockets will attempt to erase this game from their memories and move on to San Antonio… where a tough, new-look Spurs team awaits.

Rockets Look For 4 Straight as Rotation Nears Full-Strength

The Rockets returned home to Houston after their most impressive victory of the season over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night. They had two days to regroup, rest, and practice before tonight’s game in Oklahoma City, meanwhile the Thunder played last night in Cleveland. So, first things first, the Rockets should win this game even if they don’t play their best, as long as they win the hustle battle (which they should). Secondly, the Thunder are without their best player, superstar point guard Russell Westbrook, who is nursing a sprained ankle. Finally, Eric Gordon is rumored to be returning to action tonight as he is listed as questionable after missing the previous two contests. All of that being said, however, the Thunder are on a roll as a team. They started the season in the dumps, at 0-4, and had people questioning if they needed to reconstruct the team. Heading into tonight, Oklahoma City has won six games in a row, and the Thunder are backed by undoubtedly one of the best home crowds in the league. This will be no easy contest for Houston despite the Thunder not having Westbrook. They still have Paul George, an All-Star, and Steven Adams, one of the most underrated players in the entire NBA. Oklahoma City always plays hard as a team, and are certainly a tough out at home. Houston will need to match their energy and effort in order to silence the crowd early in the game. Everything else should fall into place as the Rockets have been getting better each game this road trip and certainly will enjoy having Eric Gordon back in the lineup if he is able to play, which would make the Rockets the healthiest they’ve been since Opening Night. Carmelo Anthony faces off against his former team from last season and it would be nice to see him have a great game but the Rockets need to focus on playing well as a unit instead of his individual performance. Melo will be hearing the most boos tonight, but the Rockets look to put the Westbrook-less Thunder away early and extend their winning streak to four games.

Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

7 PM CT – TNT

Rockets Surge Past Pacers Late, 98-94, Keep Perfect Road-Trip Intact

For the second straight game, neither the Rockets nor their opposition topped 100 points, a rare feat in today’s NBA, where teams commonly put up video game numbers and are scoring at record rates. The best teams can win any style of play and for the second game in a row the Rockets won a game contrary to their style, however the way they won was even more important, due to their improved communication and commitment on the defensive end. Jeff Bzdelik has yet to physically re-join the Rockets, but his presence can already be felt on the defensive end. After allowing 33 points in the second quarter, Houston regrouped at the half and clamped down on Indiana defensively, giving up only 39 second half points to the Pacers. The result was another gritty, low scoring, grind-out victory for the Rockets. Except this time they trailed by as many as 8 points in the 4^th quarter and had to put together a complete team effort to rally for the victory. James Harden was stellar with 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Clint Capela continued the longest double-double streak of his career with a solid 18 points and 10 rebounds. In consecutive games, impressive rookie Gary Clark was second on the team in rebounding with 6 boards to go along with 6 points. His improvement and intelligence on the floor for a rookie is outstanding. Coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t reward the guard with a season-high 24 minutes for exceptional talent. Clark buys in to the system and plays hard. It may sound simple, because it is simple. Know your role. Buy into the system. And play hard. P.J. Tucker has done this every single night since he joined the team last season and Clark models his team-first mentality and effort, something the Rockets will need more of from everyone if they want to achieve their ultimate goal and win their 3^rd Championship. Carmelo Anthony and Tucker both had huge 3’s late to help seal the comeback win as Houston looks to keep their road-trip perfect with stop 4 of the trip taking place in Oklahoma City against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Carmelo Anthony will be facing off against his former team from last season. The Rockets will need to continue to Run As One on this road-trip, contain Westbrook, and they should have a great chance at winning their 4^th game in a row.

He’s Back! Defensive Mastermind Jeff Bzdelik Returns to Rockets as Houston Looks to Continue Winning on the Road Against Overlooked Indiana Squad

 “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” is one of the more recognizable quotes, echoed by Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the Godfather Part III, after realizing he’s never going to be able to escape his position as a member of the mafia. I can’t help but think Jeff Bzdelik was echoing this quote in his head after finally being persuaded to come out of retirement by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta to rejoin the squad as their defensive coordinator. No, Bzdelik isn’t in the mafia, at least not to my knowledge (and you never really know with some made guys), but what this man is returning to, the goals are just as ruthless. Especially for as rare a specimen as Bzdelik is in NBA circles nowadays, a defensive specialist! Just when he thought he was out, they pulled him back in. Such is the life of an NBA coach trying to preach defense and survive in a treacherous league where the new rule changes give all the advantages to the offense. It’s harder than ever before to play defense in the modern NBA with the freedom of movement rule posing that if an opposing player is merely touched (especially by a Rocket) he draws the foul. Similar to the NFL, where defense has seemed to be penalized for the glory of offense, defense in the NBA has all but disappeared. At least in the NFL you can still tackle someone. In the NBA you can’t even touch somebody without committing a foul. Jeff Bzdelik may not be the star player the city or the fans want right now, but he’s the piece the Rockets need right now. More than ever. It will also give the team a chance to see if Bzdelik’s absence was the main problem (which I suspect) to Houston’s torridly awful start, or if the Rockets really miss Trevor Ariza’s impact as much as some fans cautiously expected. The man who’s most commonly known as the Rockets defensive guru executed the defensive game plans, to go along with running the effective switches that worked so efficiently last year. His importance to the team last season was most noticeable in his ability to give in-game adjustments on defense, specifically against great teams who had figured out the Rockets scheme, Bzdelik would tweak the defensive style and always seemed to be one step ahead of the opponent, something the Rockets have sorely missed on the defensive end this season. Tonight, the Houston Rockets entertain the Indiana Pacers and look to jot another win in the W column on this road trip. The overlooked and underrated Pacers are off to a great 7-3 start through their first ten games. Victor Oladipo is having the best season of his career and looks to be an All-Star again this year. Houston’s defensive focus will primarily be on Oladipo on the perimeter, but don’t forget about Indiana’s big men in the post. They have several underrated, young interior players who play harder than most at their position, in particular Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. The Rockets will need to control the glass, win the rebounding battle, and CONVERT easy-baskets (something that has confounded everyone in the NBA universe) if they want to move their win streak to 3 in a row on this road trip that continues in Indianapolis. Clint Capela will need to play BIG and P.J. Tucker will need help on the hustle plays as this is a hungry, young Indiana Pacers team that plays hard every night, and is an even tougher out on their home court with their explosive offense. Lucky for the Rockets, just when they thought he was out, they pulled their “Defensive Whisperer” back in.

Bankers Life Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana

6 PM CT – ATT Sportsnet

New Pieces Start to Fit More Comfortably as Rockets top Bulls, 96-88, En Route to Back-to-Back Victories

 The Rockets came into the United Center on Saturday night, and energized by the return of their MVP, along with key contributions from several new additions, they were able to avoid early season fatigue on their way to back-to-back wins for the first time this season. James Harden started the game the way he should most games, getting other teammates involved. James Ennis got off to an excellent start on both ends of the floor and had his best game in a Rockets uniform with 15 points in a mere 17 minutes. Carmelo Anthony was efficient for the second consecutive night, posting 17 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the field. He wasn’t as effective from long range (1 for 7) as last night’s 6 for 9, but Anthony still found ways to make his shots fall from inside the arc. Clint Capela posted his 5^th consecutive double-double (tying the longest streak of his career) with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Although Capela hasn’t had any monstrous games in terms of his stats this season, he slowly looks to be returning to form as one of the smartest and agile true centers in the game. The Rockets’ third option has been consistent, they just need him to be consistently better if they want to beat the best teams the NBA has to offer. Gary Clark looked like a seasoned vet instead of a rookie in his second excellent game in a row in limited minutes off the bench. The rookie chipped in 6 points to go along with 7 rebounds in only 21 minutes. James Harden was solid, garnering 25 points and 7 assists in his first game back from injury. The Rockets will need to be better if they want to continue winning as the road trip only gets more difficult from here on out with Indiana, Oklahoma City, and San Antonio (all probable playoff teams) next on the schedule for Houston. Next up are the Indiana Pacers who are off to a great 7-3 start and currently sit as the 3^rd best team in the Eastern Conference. Led by All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, and some underrated young big men (Myles Turner, Domantas Sabonis) the Pacers will pose as Houston’s greatest road threat so far this season. The Rockets will look to continue their winning streak on the road, in order to do that, they will need to play better. The Nets and the Bulls are two of the worst teams in the entire NBA, teams in rebuilding mode. The Pacers are slowly shifting from rebuilding to contender and now have their best team in years. The Rockets need to continue to communicate and work together on the defensive end if they want to beat a young, hungry Indiana Pacers team.

Rockets Try and Win Back-to-Back Games As Harden Returns, Road-trip Continues in Chicago

 The Houston Rockets finally won a game, last night, against the Brooklyn Nets. It seemed like, forever, since they had previously won. It was only 13 days, but to Rockets fans who’ve become accustomed to the success of the Rockets during the Harden-era, 13 days is a LONG time. The Rockets get right back to business tonight in Chicago as they take on the lowly Bulls, who sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a 2-7 record. James Harder returns from his hamstring injury, which will hopefully give the team a boost. However the squad will be without Eric Gordon, and James Ennis, the latter apparently re-injured the hamstring injury that’s kept him on the sidelines for most of this season. Yikes. Anyways, the Rockets will look to continue to build on their momentum to start of this road trip as they try and string back-to-back wins together for the first time all season. The Rockets should play with energy, given their star is back, and should be able to put the Bulls away handily. We’ll see if last night’s game was a swing in season momentum, or just a rare victory. The Rockets look to prove to everyone that they’re back to their winning ways.

United Center – Chicago, Illinois

7 PM CT – ATT Sportsnet

Houston Snaps 4-Game Skid as CP3, Melo Ignite Rockets Past Nets, 119-111

 We’d all seen this one before. It was a sadly familiar sight. The Rockets trailed in another game early, against an inferior opponent. They were down 57-43 in the second quarter, and things looked like they had all season. The Rockets were on their way to another embarrassing defeat. Then, out of the blue, during a timeout the Rockets vocal leader, Chris Paul, had finally had enough and told the coaches to “stay back” during a players-only huddle that may have turned the season around. The Rockets came out of that timeout and cut the deficit from 14 to 5 at the half. They looked different. It’s too early and too small a sample size to see if they truly have their “swagger” back, but it’s a step in the right direction as the Rockets closed out the Nets behind a stellar CP3 performance and Carmelo Anthony’s best game in a Rockets uniform. Melo hit two clutch 3’s late that helped seal the Rockets’ win in his return to the New York area. The team as a whole looked more determined defensively in the final 30 minutes compared to the first 18 minutes, where the Rockets looked like a 1-5 team. It’s a step in the right direction. A win is a win and the Rockets desperately needed one and now need to use this momentum moving forward as they get the Beard back for tomorrow night’s game in Chicago against the Bulls. The Rockets will try and string back-to-back wins together for the first time all season again another inferior Eastern Conference opponent.

Rockets Slump Into Brooklyn, In Desperate Need of a Win

 The Houston Rockets begin their 5-game road-trip with against the Brooklyn Nets, another team the Rockets should beat, because they are (or were built to be, the better team). As more time passes, and more games are logged into the books, the Rockets could slowly see themselves as shifting from championship contenders to playoff contenders in the heated Western Conference, which seems to be more brutal this year than in record. The schedule gods were kind enough to give the Rockets a manageable East coast back-to-back, against two teams (Nets, Bulls) they should beat, even with all their injuries. Carmelo Anthony returns to New York City for the first time as a Rocket. Not to take on his former team, but we’ll see if the change of scenario can spark better play from Melo and the rest of his teammates as the Rockets look to rise from the bottom of the Western Conference standings and begin to make a footprint (albeit, a positive one) on this season. In their two previous road games, the Rockets got their first win of the season, and just avoided a comeback rally to fall short against the Clippers. One can only hope the inspired play on the road, at least compared to at home, will continue on this road trip. Maybe this road trip can act as a much-needed team bonding exercise that helps integrate the new faces into the Rockets organization. Players get to spend more time with each other on the road, and this can even be the road trip that really bonds the team together, and deepens the chemistry between players and coaching staff for the rest of the season. As many Rockets fans know, they need it. Desperately.

Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York

6:30 PM CT – ATT Sportsnet

Blazers Blast By Rockets, 104-85, As Early-Season Woes Continue

 The Portland Trailblazers came into Toyota Center on Tuesday night and beat the Houston Rockets handily, by a score of 104-85, in an outcome that felt like the final score would differentiate by more than 30 points. The Rockets trailed by 15 at the half and were never really in the game. They seem to not care anymore, or maybe it’s the frustration of missed layup after missed layup countered by open layup after open layup for the other team. This Rockets team is still without Harden, Ennis, and other key pieces, but after six games into the season, its obvious changes are necessary for Houston, no matter who is on the court. The team as a whole looks like its sleepwalking through the season. The defense hasn’t gotten any better. Tonight the Blazers usual suspects, their “Big 3” of Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic, did the most damage. On the offensive end the Rockets have missed so many layups and easy shots that it seems like they a have a major lack of focus they’re dealing with as a group. Gary Clark was the lone bright spot for the Rockets, as he scored 11 points in 19 minutes and looks like he’s going to be a solid role player in the NBA, if not even better. Hopefully it has something to do with Harden’s absence, and the new pieces are still trying to get acquainted with a new team and a new system, but the squad can’t continue to play with this lack of focus, energy, and determinism on the court or they will find themselves out of the playoff hunt, sooner than later. Up next for the Rockets is their longest road trip of the season, a 5-game road trip that starts Friday night in Brooklyn and culminates November 10^th in San Antonio. The Rockets will likely still be without their MVP, James Harden, for Friday’s matchup as he is eyeing Saturday in Chicago as a return date to the court. The Rockets will try and replicate the Astros’ road success this season, as they were much better on the road than at home. The Rockets lone win this season has come on the road in Los Angeles. When the team returns to Houston, hopefully they’ll have come up with a few answers to the multitude of problems that have plagued the team throughout the first 6 games of the season.