2019–20 Houston Rockets season

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

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.

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.

In February, Westbrook and Harden became the first teammates in NBA history to average 30+ points and 5+ assists per game.

COVID-19 Impact

The season was suspended by the league officials following the games of March 11 after it was reported that Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. 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." Fourteen-year NBA veteran player Thabo Sefolosha opted out of continuing on with the team in the wake of coronavirus. Westbrook also tested positive for the virus and the diagnosis was formally announced in July prior to the team heading to Orlando. He flew to Orlando to join the team on July 20 following NBA mandated quarantine requirements and two negative COVID-19 test results. 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. July 16 news reports 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.

Draft picks

Main article: 2019 NBA draft

The Rockets did not hold any picks for the 2019 NBA Draft. 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

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From F 5 Caboclo, Bruno 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 1995–09–21 Brazil F 9 Carroll, DeMarre 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1986–07–27 Missouri C 19 Chandler, Tyson 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1982–10–02 Dominguez HS (CA) G 3 Clemons, Chris 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997–07–23 Campbell F 33 Covington, Robert 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1990–12–14 Tennessee State G 21 Frazier, Michael (TW) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1994–03–08 Florida G 10 Gordon, Eric  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1988–12–25 Indiana F 32 Green, Jeff 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1986–08–28 Georgetown G 13 Harden, James 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1989–08–26 Arizona State G/F 4 House, Danuel 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1993–06–07 Texas A&M F 12 Mbah a Moute, Luc 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1986–09–09 UCLA G 16 McLemore, Ben 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1993–02–11 Kansas G/F – Nwaba, David 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 219 lb (99 kg) 1993–01–14 Cal Poly G 25 Rivers, Austin 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1992–08–01 Duke G/F 18 Sefolosha, Thabo 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1984–05–02 Switzerland F 17 Tucker, P. J. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1985–05–05 Texas G 0 Westbrook, Russell 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1988–11–12 UCLA

Head coach Mike D'Antoni Assistant coach(es) Matt Brase Brett Gunning Dan Hartfield John Lucas Elston Turner Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (GL) On assignment to G League affiliate (TW) Two-way affiliate player Injured Roster Last transaction: 2020–07–08

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)
Preseason: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 September 30 Shanghai Sharks W 140–71 Clint Capela (25) Harden, Blossomgame (12) James Harden (17) Toyota Center 16,155 1–0 2 October 4 @ LA Clippers W 109–96 James Harden (37) Clint Capela (11) James Harden (7) Stan Sheriff Center 10,300 2-0 3 October 8 @ Toronto L 129–134 James Harden (34) Clint Capela (5) James Harden (7) Saitama Super Arena 20,413 2–1 4 October 10 Toronto W 118–111 Harden, Westbrook (22) P. J. Tucker (10) James Harden (9) Saitama Super Arena 20,413 3–1 5 October 16 San Antonio L 114–128 James Harden (40) James Harden (10) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 17,283 3–2 6 October 18 @ Miami W 144–133 James Harden (44) Clint Capela (13) James Harden (7) American Airlines Arena 19,600 4–2
2019–20 season schedule

Regular season

2019–20 game log Total: 44–28 (Home: 24–12; Road: 20–16)
October: 3–1 (home: 2–1; road: 1–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 October 24 Milwaukee L 111–117 Russell Westbrook (24) Russell Westbrook (16) James Harden (14) Toyota Center 18,055 0–1 2 October 26 New Orleans W 126–123 James Harden (29) Russell Westbrook (10) Russell Westbrook (13) Toyota Center 18,055 1–1 3 October 28 Oklahoma City W 116–112 James Harden (40) Russell Westbrook (12) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 2–1 4 October 30 @ Washington W 159–158 James Harden (59) Russell Westbrook (10) Russell Westbrook (12) Capital One Arena 20,476 3–1
November: 10–5 (home: 6–1; road: 4–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 5 November 1 @ Brooklyn L 116–123 James Harden (26) Chandler, Tucker (8) Harden, Westbrook (8) Barclays Center 17,732 3–2 6 November 3 @ Miami L 100–129 James Harden (29) Clint Capela (7) Russell Westbrook (6) American Airlines Arena 19,724 3–3 7 November 4 @ Memphis W 107–100 James Harden (44) Clint Capela (13) James Harden (6) FedExForum 14,197 4–3 8 November 6 Golden State W 129–112 James Harden (36) Clint Capela (16) James Harden (13) Toyota Center 18,055 5–3 9 November 9 @ Chicago W 117–94 James Harden (42) Clint Capela (20) James Harden (9) United Center 20,482 6–3 10 November 11 @ New Orleans W 122–116 James Harden (39) Clint Capela (20) James Harden (9) Smoothie King Center 16,695 7–3 11 November 13 LA Clippers W 102–93 James Harden (47) Clint Capela (20) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 8–3 12 November 15 Indiana W 111–102 James Harden (44) P. J. Tucker (12) Russell Westbrook (6) Toyota Center 18,055 9–3 13 November 16 @ Minnesota W 125–105 James Harden (49) Isaiah Hartenstein (16) James Harden (6) Target Center 18,978 10–3 14 November 18 Portland W 132–108 James Harden (36) Clint Capela (20) Russell Westbrook (10) Toyota Center 18,055 11–3 15 November 20 @ Denver L 95–105 James Harden (27) Clint Capela (21) James Harden (7) Pepsi Center 17,778 11–4 16 November 22 @ LA Clippers L 119–122 James Harden (37) Clint Capela (19) James Harden (12) Staples Center 19,068 11–5 17 November 24 Dallas L 123–137 James Harden (32) Clint Capela (22) James Harden (11) Toyota Center 18,055 11–6 18 November 27 Miami W 117–108 James Harden (34) Russell Westbrook (9) Russell Westbrook (7) Toyota Center 18,055 12–6 19 November 30 Atlanta W 158–111 James Harden (60) Ben McLemore (13) Harden, Westbrook (8) Toyota Center 18,055 13–6
December: 10–5 (home: 4–2; road: 6–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 20 December 3 @ San Antonio L 133–135 (2OT) James Harden (50) Clint Capela (21) Russell Westbrook (10) AT&T Center 18,354 13–7 21 December 5 @ Toronto W 119–109 Ben McLemore (28) Westbrook, Capela (13) Russell Westbrook (11) Scotiabank Arena 19,800 14–7 22 December 7 Phoenix W 115–109 James Harden (34) Russell Westbrook (14) Russell Westbrook (11) Toyota Center 18,055 15–7 23 December 9 Sacramento L 118–119 Russell Westbrook (34) P. J. Tucker (19) James Harden (10) Toyota Center 18,055 15–8 24 December 11 @ Cleveland W 116–110 James Harden (55) Clint Capela (13) James Harden (8) Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse 17,122 16–8 25 December 13 @ Orlando W 130–107 James Harden (54) Tucker, Capela (11) James Harden (7) Amway Center 16,335 17–8 26 December 14 Detroit L 107–115 James Harden (39) Clint Capela (19) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 17–9 27 December 16 San Antonio W 109–107 Russell Westbrook (31) Clint Capela (15) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 18–9 28 December 19 @ LA Clippers W 122–117 Russell Westbrook (40) P. J. Tucker (12) James Harden (10) Staples Center 19,068 19–9 29 December 21 @ Phoenix W 139–125 James Harden (47) Clint Capela (17) Russell Westbrook (10) Talking Stick Resort Arena 16,061 20–9 30 December 23 @ Sacramento W 113–104 James Harden (34) Clint Capela (14) Russell Westbrook (6) Golden 1 Center 17,583 21–9 31 December 25 @ Golden State L 104–116 Russell Westbrook (30) Russell Westbrook (11) James Harden (11) Chase Center 18,064 21–10 32 December 28 Brooklyn W 108–98 James Harden (44) Isaiah Hartenstein (13) Russell Westbrook (7) Toyota Center 18,306 22–10 33 December 29 @ New Orleans L 112–127 Danuel House (22) Isaiah Hartenstein (9) Chris Clemons (9) Smoothie King Center 17,712 22–11 34 December 31 Denver W 130–104 James Harden (35) Isaiah Hartenstein (12) Russell Westbrook (7) Toyota Center 18,055 23–11
January: 7–7 (home: 4–3; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 35 January 3 Philadelphia W 118–108 James Harden (44) Clint Capela (14) James Harden (11) Toyota Center 18,055 24–11 36 January 8 @ Atlanta W 122–115 James Harden (41) Clint Capela (22) James Harden (10) State Farm Arena 16,514 25–11 37 January 9 @ Oklahoma City L 92–113 Russell Westbrook (34) Clint Capela (11) Russell Westbrook (5) Chesapeake Energy Arena 18,203 25–12 38 January 11 Minnesota W 139–109 James Harden (32) Isaiah Hartenstein (15) Russell Westbrook (10) Toyota Center 18,055 26–12 39 January 14 @ Memphis L 110–121 James Harden (41) Clint Capela (16) James Harden (6) FedExForum 16,181 26–13 40 January 15 Portland L 107–117 Russell Westbrook (31) Clint Capela (18) Russell Westbrook (12) Toyota Center 18,055 26–14 41 January 18 LA Lakers L 115–124 Russell Westbrook (35) Clint Capela (12) Westbrook, Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 26–15 42 January 20 Oklahoma City L 107–112 Russell Westbrook (32) Russell Westbrook (11) Russell Westbrook (12) Toyota Center 18,055 26–16 43 January 22 Denver W 121–105 Russell Westbrook (28) Russell Westbrook (16) Russell Westbrook (8) Toyota Center 18,055 27–16 44 January 24 @ Minnesota W 131–124 Russell Westbrook (45) Clint Capela (9) Russell Westbrook (10) Target Center 16,101 28–16 45 January 26 @ Denver L 110–117 Russell Westbrook (32) Clint Capela (12) Russell Westbrook (7) Pepsi Center 19,520 28–17 46 January 27 @ Utah W 126–117 Eric Gordon (50) Danuel House (11) P. J. Tucker (5) Vivint Smart Home Arena 18,306 29–17 47 January 29 @ Portland L 112–125 Russell Westbrook (39) Russell Westbrook (10) Russell Westbrook (6) Moda Center 19,393 29–18 48 January 31 Dallas W 128–121 James Harden (35) James Harden (16) Russell Westbrook (9) Toyota Center 18,055 30–18
February: 9–2 (home: 5–1; road: 4–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 49 February 2 New Orleans W 117–109 James Harden (40) Danuel House (12) James Harden (9) Toyota Center 18,055 31–18 50 February 4 Charlotte W 125–110 James Harden (40) P.J. Tucker (10) James Harden (12) Toyota Center 18,055 32–18 51 February 6 @ LA Lakers W 121–111 Russell Westbrook (41) Covington, Westbrook (8) James Harden (7) Staples Center 18,997 33–18 52 February 7 @ Phoenix L 91–127 James Harden (32) Danuel House (6) James Harden (5) Talking Stick Resort Arena 17,043 33–19 53 February 9 Utah L 113–114 Russell Westbrook (39) James Harden (10) James Harden (10) Toyota Center 18,055 33–20 54 February 11 Boston W 116–105 James Harden (42) Russell Westbrook (10) James Harden (7) Toyota Center 18,055 34–20 55 February 20 @ Golden State W 135–105 James Harden (29) Covington, Tucker, Westbrook (5) Harden, Westbrook (10) Chase Center 18,064 35–20 56 February 22 @ Utah W 120–110 James Harden (38) Robert Covington (12) James Harden (7) Vivint Smart Home Arena 18,306 36–20 57 February 24 New York W 123–112 James Harden (37) Robert Covington (7) James Harden (9) Toyota Center 18,055 37–20 58 February 26 Memphis W 140–112 Russell Westbrook (33) Russell Westbrook (9) Russell Westbrook (8) Toyota Center 18,055 38–20 59 February 29 @ Boston W 111–110 (OT) Russell Westbrook (41) Robert Covington (16) James Harden (8) TD Garden 19,156 39–20
March: 1–4 (home: 1–2; road: 0–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 60 March 2 @ New York L 123–125 James Harden (35) Robert Covington (13) James Harden (8) Madison Square Garden 18,142 39–21 61 March 5 LA Clippers L 105–120 Russell Westbrook (29) Russell Westbrook (15) Russell Westbrook (5) Toyota Center 18,055 39–22 62 March 7 @ Charlotte L 99–108 James Harden (30) James Harden (10) James Harden (14) Spectrum Center 19,159 39–23 63 March 8 Orlando L 106–126 Russell Westbrook (24) Russell Westbrook (8) James Harden (6) Toyota Center 18,055 39–24 64 March 10 Minnesota W 117–111 James Harden (37) P. J. Tucker (11) Harden, Westbrook (7) Toyota Center 18,055 40–24
Seeding games: 4–4 (home: 2–2; road: 2–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 65 July 31 @ Dallas W 153–149 (OT) James Harden (49) Covington, Westbrook (11) Harden, Westbrook (8) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 41–24 66 August 2 Milwaukee W 120–116 Russell Westbrook (31) Covington, Harden (7) Russell Westbrook (8) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 42–24 67 August 4 @ Portland L 102–110 James Harden (23) Covington, Tucker (8) Harden, Westbrook (9) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 42–25 68 August 6 LA Lakers W 113–97 James Harden (39) James Harden (8) James Harden (12) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 43–25 69 August 9 @ Sacramento W 129–112 Austin Rivers (41) Robert Covington (13) James Harden (7) HP Field House No In-Person Attendance 44–25 70 August 11 @ San Antonio L 105–123 Russell Westbrook (20) Robert Covington (9) Russell Westbrook (6) HP Field House No In-Person Attendance 44–26 71 August 12 Indiana L 104–108 James Harden (45) James Harden (17) James Harden (9) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 44–27 72 August 14 Philadelphia L 96–134 James Harden (27) Bruno Caboclo (6) James Harden (10) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 44–28
2019–20 season schedule

Playoffs

See also: 2020 NBA playoffs

2020 playoff game log Total: 5–7 (Home: 4–2; Road: 1–5)
First Round: 4–3 (home: 4–0; road: 0–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 August 18 Oklahoma City W 123–108 James Harden (37) James Harden (11) Danuel House (5) HP Field House No In-Person Attendance 1–0 2 August 20 Oklahoma City W 111–98 James Harden (21) Danuel House (9) James Harden (9) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 2–0 3 August 22 @ Oklahoma City L 107–119 (OT) James Harden (38) Danuel House (10) James Harden (8) HP Field House No In-Person Attendance 2–1 4 August 24 @ Oklahoma City L 114–117 James Harden (32) P. J. Tucker (11) James Harden (15) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 2–2 5 August 29 Oklahoma City W 114–80 James Harden (31) Jeff Green (10) Russell Westbrook (7) HP Field House No In-Person Attendance 3–2 6 August 31 @ Oklahoma City L 100–104 James Harden (32) P. J. Tucker (11) James Harden (7) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 3–3 7 September 2 Oklahoma City W 104–102 Covington, Gordon (21) Robert Covington (10) James Harden (9) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 4–3
Conference Semifinals: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 September 4 @ L. A. Lakers W 112–97 James Harden (36) Tucker, Westbrook (9) Russell Westbrook (6) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 1–0 2 September 6 @ L. A. Lakers L 109–117 James Harden (27) Russell Westbrook (13) James Harden (7) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 1–1 3 September 8 L. A. Lakers L 102–112 James Harden (33) James Harden (9) James Harden (9) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 1–2 4 September 10 L. A. Lakers L 100–110 Russell Westbrook (25) Jeff Green (7) James Harden (10) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 1–3 5 September 12 @ L. A. Lakers L 96–119 James Harden (30) James Harden (6) Russell Westbrook (6) The Arena No In-Person Attendance 1–4
2020 playoff schedule

Transactions

Main article: List of 2019–20 NBA season transactions

Trades

July 16, 2019	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	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	To Houston Rockets Bruno Caboclo	To Memphis Grizzlies Jordan Bell Second-round pick swap in 2023

Free agency

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