Houston Rockets Blog – Page 28 – NBA Blog

Jason Terry taking it easy in preseason

Here’s the Houston Chronicle reporting on Rockets guard Jason Terry, who at this point in his career isn’t particularly interested in preseason action:

Rockets veteran guard Jason Terry did not dress for Tuesday’s preseason opener and does not expect to play Wednesday against Dallas. After 16 NBA seasons, Terry said he knows how to be ready for the season and that does not involve playing many, if any preseason games.

“Oct. 28, I’ll see you then,” Terry said. “About my 10th year, when I was in Dallas, I played maybe four games. It doesn’t really affect me. I have my set routine, how I know to prepare my body, to be ready for the first flight.”

Moses Malone funeral will be Saturday

Here’s the Houston Chronicle blog reporting on the late, great Moses Malone:

The funeral for NBA great Moses Malone will be held at noon Saturday at Lakewood Church, [the] former site of The Summit where Malone built much of his legend as one of the NBA’s greatest players ever.

Moses Malone Jr. said that the ceremony will be a celebration of his father’s life with NBA players from around the country expected to attend.

Malone died Sunday morning in Virginia of an apparent heart attack. He was 60-years-old.

Former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley will deliver the eulogy, Malone Jr. said. Barkley, who called Malone “dad,” often credited Malone for his success as a player.

Dwight Howard detained at airport due to gun

Here’s the Orlando Sentinel blog reporting on Rockets center Dwight Howard, who made a mistake you cannot make in an airport:

Former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard has a personal collection of more than 50 guns – shotguns, bazookas, handguns and semiautomatics.

But the Houston Rockets center apparently tried to take a pistol on an airplane last Friday and was detained at George Bush Intercontinental airport in Houston.

According to ESPN, Houston Police Department spokesperson Kese Smith said Wednesday that Howard was stopped at Terminal E at 7 a.m. when TSA officials discovered a pistol in the bottom of a carry-on bag.

Rockets re-sign Jason Terry

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-signed guard Jason Terry.

Terry (6-2, 180, Arizona) played 77 games for the Houston Rockets during the 2014-15 season averaging 7.0 points, 1.9 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game. The sixteenth year guard also played in and started all 17 games for the Rockets during the 2015 NBA Playoffs averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game. The University of Arizona product and Seattle native holds career averages of 14.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 31.8 minutes per game over the course of 1,213 career appearances, including 668 starts, with the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets.

Terry was originally selected tenth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. In his first season in Houston, Terry became only the third player in NBA history, along with Ray Allen and Jason Kidd, to make more than 2,000 three-point field goals in their career. He currently sits at 2,076 three-point field goals made and third on the all-time list. Terry was also named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2009. He was acquired by the Houston Rockets on September 17, 2014 in a trade with the Sacramento Kings.

Rockets re-sign K.J. McDaniels

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has re-signed restricted free agent K.J. McDaniels to a multi-year deal.

McDaniels (6-6, 200, Clemson) played 62 games as a rookie for the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers during the 2014-15 season recording a combined 7.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 blocks in 21.8 minutes per game.

McDaniels was drafted 32nd overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was acquired from Philadelphia by Houston in a trade on Feb.19, 2015.

Nuggets trade Ty Lawson to Rockets

The Denver Nuggets have acquired Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, a protected 2016 first round pick and cash considerations from Houston in exchange for Ty Lawson and a 2017 second round pick, General Manager and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly announced today. Subsequently, Prigioni was waived by Denver following the trade.

Dorsey, 6-8, 268, appeared in 69 games (17 starts) and averaged 2.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game for the Rockets during the 2014-15 season. The four-year NBA veteran holds career averages of 2.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 130 career games (26 starts) with Houston, Sacramento and Toronto. Dorsey was originally drafted with the 33rd overall selection of the 2008 NBA Draft out of the University of Memphis.

Johnson, 6-3, 200, averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game in 28 games for the Houston Rockets during his rookie campaign in 2014-15. The first-year guard also appeared in 20 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League, averaging 18.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 33.9 minutes per game. The Arizona product was selected 42nd overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Papanikolaou, 6-8, 225, appeared in 43 games (one start) in his rookie season with Houston, averaging 4.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. He was originally drafted by the New York Knicks with the 48th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft and was traded to Portland in 2012 and then to Houston on July 10, 2013. From 2011 to 2013, the Greek forward played for Olympiacos and in 2013-14 he played for FC Barcelona in the Spanish ACB league.

Prigioni, 6-3, 180, averaged 3.0 points and 2.8 assists in 16.8 minutes per game in 24 games with the Houston Rockets during the 2014-15 NBA season. Prigioni went undrafted in the 1999 NBA Draft and has appeared in 211 career games (48 starts) in three seasons with New York and Houston, averaging 3.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Lawson, 5-11, 195, appeared in 75 games (all starts), averaging 15.2 points and a career-high 9.6 assists in 35.5 minutes per game with Denver during the 2014-15 NBA season. Lawson spent the first six years of his career with the Nuggets, playing in 416 games (307 starts) and averaging 14.2 points, 6.6 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 35.5 minutes per game. The North Carolina Tar-Heel was originally selected 18th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and was traded to Denver in a draft-night deal.

Report: Nuggets will trade Ty Lawson to Rockets

Point guard Ty Lawson has been busy getting in trouble off the court and will soon be wearing a different jersey on his back. Here is Yahoo Sports reporting:

The Denver Nuggets have reached agreement to trade guard Ty Lawson to the Houston Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Houston will send Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson and a protected 2016 first-round draft pick to Denver, sources said. Along with Lawson, the Nuggets will send a 2017 second-round pick to Houston.

Denver’s plan is to turn the team over to rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, the seventh overall pick in the June NBA draft, and veteran guard Jameer Nelson.

Donatas Motiejunas expects to be healthy by training camp

Donatas Motiejunas expects to be healthy by training camp

Here’s the Houston Chronicle with an update on Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas:

The first week of the postseason, Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas watched his team play as he laid in a bed, unable to get around after having back surgery.

As the Rockets continued to play through the playoffs – beating the Mavericks in the first round, then spurring an historic comeback against the Clippers in the semifinals and eventually falling to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, Motiejunas watched from the sidelines, wishing he could be on the floor with them.

Just before the Rockets made the best playoff run they’ve had in recent history, Motiejunas had lumbar microdisectomy surgery, ending his season.

Motiejunas is slowly recovering and said he will be cleared to play by the time training camp starts in the fall. And the forward, who started 62 games for the Rockets this season, can’t wait to be back on the court. “I will just keep working to get better and be better,” Motiejunas said. “No question about it. I will be ready for training camp.”

Warriors eliminate Rockets, reach NBA Finals

The AP reports: After a generation of wishing and waiting, the Golden State Warriors have finally arrived on basketball’s biggest stage again. Stephen Curry had 26 points and eight rebounds, Harrison Barnes added 24 points and the Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years with a 104-90 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night… The Warriors shook off a slow start and sweated out a shaky finish in Game 5 to close out the Rockets and set up a matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers beginning June 4… Dwight Howard led Houston with 18 points and 16 rebounds. But MVP runner-up James Harden had a forgettable finale, with a playoff-record 13 turnovers and 14 points on 2-of-11 shooting.

The AP reports: Things got tougher on Curry and the Warriors when backcourt mate Klay Thompson faked a shot that drew Trevor Ariza in the air early in the fourth quarter. Thompson absorbed Ariza’s knee to the side of his head, sending him to the floor. Thompson, who finished with 20 points, lay on the ground for a minute before walking to the locker room. He came back to the bench after receiving stitches on his right ear.

AFP reports: Forward Harrison Barnes played a key role, helping Golden State break open a close contest with four straight baskets to cap an 11-2 scoring run that turned a six-point lead into an 87-72 Warriors advantage with 7:07 left to play. Barnes scored nine straight points on a jump shot, a three-pointer, a running basket and a dunk.

AFP reports: The Warriors defense harried Rockets star guard James Harden into a dismal two-for-11 shooting performance. He missed all three of his three-point attempts and finished with an NBA playoff record 13 turnovers.

AFP reports: Dwight Howard led Houston with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but the Rockets shot just 35.1 percent from the field.

Reuters reports: The Rockets had won Game Four of the series on Monday to avoid being swept, but were outscored 35-24 in the second quarter on Wednesday and played catch up the rest of the way.

Rockets win Game 4 vs Warriors

Rockets win Game 4 vs Warriors

When Golden State’s Stephen Curry crashed into Trevor Ariza’s shoulder, was upended and sent flying toward the court on Monday night against Houston, it felt like forever before he landed.

”That was the worst (fall ever) because you’re in the air for a long time,” Curry said. ”And not knowing how you’re going to hit the floor, knowing that it’s going to happen, it’s inevitable, but you’re up there just trying to brace yourself.”

The MVP was able to return to Game 4 of the Western Conference finals after the spill but the Warriors couldn’t overcome a big deficit, as James Harden scored 45 points in the Rockets’ 128-115 victory.

— Associated Press

While the Rockets prevented a sweep, no team in NBA history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.

“We’re a really good team when we are moving the ball and working together,” Harden said. “We’ve got to do a better job of being consistent.”

Harden made 13-of-22 shots from the floor, including 7-of-11 from 3-point range, and added nine rebounds and five assists.

— AFP

Harden also pulled down nine rebounds, while center Dwight Howard notched 14 points and 12 boards as the Rockets ensured they would live to fight another day, pulling back to 3-1 down in the best-of-seven series.

Curry finished with 23 points, while guard Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 24.

Golden State, who will have their next chance to close out the series back in Oakland on Wednesday, have not been to the NBA finals since 1975.

— Reuters