#95 houston rockets roster free

He was visibly frustrated throughout, and it felt as though he needed someone to pull him out of his funk.Īs an MVP runner-up, Harden should be the one doing the pulling. But his ball-stopping on offense and invisibility on the other end didn't provide a rallying point for his teammates. Harden, who scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished six dimes, was statistically better than Howard. The weak-side help from Houston was nonexistent. His frustration was understandable, as the Rockets' other defenders left him on an island all night.

This did not go unnoticed by Clips head coach Doc Rivers, per Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports:ĭ12 committed his sixth foul and picked up his second technical on the same play early in the fourth quarter. More pace would have taxed the likes of forward Blake Griffin, who cruised to 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists.Īnd it would have made point guard Chris Paul's sore hamstring a bigger factor. More importantly, slowing the game down benefited the Clippers by making their thin bench less of a factor. It was simply harder for Houston to create cross-matches or breakaway chances after the foul shots.

Whether Jordan made or missed them didn't matter much.

#95 houston rockets roster free

The Rockets took away their own transition chances by allowing L.A.'s defense to organize after free throws. īy now, everyone understands the basic explanation for fouling Jordan: He shot 39.7 percent from the line this season, and sticking him there theoretically prevents the Clippers' top-ranked offense from pummeling opponents with pace.Īll told, Jordan made just 14 of his 34 free-throw attempts on the night.īut the negative side effects of Houston's ploy were obvious. According to ESPN's Arash Markazi, that amounted to an NBA record for the most free throws attempted by a player in any half of a postseason game. They wholly committed themselves to hacking center DeAndre Jordan in the first half, sending him to the foul line 14 times in the first quarter and another 14 in the second. Rasheem Green, who did not record a tackle in 14 defensive snaps, may need to show more production since his one-year contract could save the Texans $2.25 million in cap space upon release.For example, you can learn that the Rockets weren't strategically equipped to compete in Game 4. There are also newly acquired pass-rushers like Obo Okoronkwo, whose sack and four total tackles against the Saints projects value to the defensive line’s depth. Smith also said there are some who may not play at all in the preseason, and there isn’t much incentive to play Addison, 34, when they know what he offers as a defensive end and could instead rest before the season.

Mario Addison, another free agent pass-rusher from the Bills, did not dress out for Saturday’s preseason game against the Saints, but he’d cost the Texans $3.6 million in dead money upon release. There are returning starters like nose tackle Roy Lopez, the franchise’s 2021 sixth-round pick who is expected to improve in his second season. Smith says the Texans likely will be bad again but it’s better than not having them in our daily lives. Houston Chronicle sports columnist Brian T.