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Rockets Notes: Offensive Woes, Green, Holiday

April 22nd, 2025 at 9:51pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets scored just 85 points in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Warriors. That has to change dramatically for the higher-seeded Rockets to win the series, Michael Wright of ESPN notes.

“Some guys did struggle offensively — you’re not going to overreact to one game,” coach Ime Udoka said after Sunday’s loss. “But if guys do play better, we have a chance there. Ten-point loss and like I said, holding somebody to 95; it was an offensively poor showing. The defense was good enough. But I’m not going to overreact to that game. It’s some of those guys’ first times and we had our chances.”

Game 2 will be held on Wednesday.

  • The Game 1 performance can’t be easily dismissed, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Warriors possess stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, who have many years of playoff experience and can create offense when needed, while the Rockets simply don’t have a player like that on their roster.
  • Jalen Green, who averaged 21 points during the regular season, shot 3-for-15 from the field and scored seven points in the series opener. He was also limited to two assists. “They went after him some, but he played in the crowd a little bit too much,” Udoka said,  per Jonathan Alexander of the Houston Chronicle. “It’s not really the turnovers as much as the shots in the crowd where you have to find your outlet … When he has isolations, you’ve got to find your outlet. That’s going to be a big key in this series.”
  • Udoka might expand his eight-man rotation in Game 2 to include Aaron Holiday, an above-average 3-point threat. “Yeah, we were considering it last game,” Udoka told Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle. “That unit in the third quarter was running well and so we went with them, stuck with them, but Aaron’s played well against them. Obviously, not just the shooting, his physicality and aggressiveness on defense helps as well. And so yeah, we’re not just tied down to our guys. I think a big part of it was finding the rhythm with our guys and kind of sticking with them through their first experience in the playoffs. That’s part of it, no doubt but yeah Aaron’s had a great series against Golden State.”
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NBA Announces Finalists For 2024/25 Awards

April 20th, 2025 at 6:22pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic are the three finalists for the league’s Most Valuable Player award this season, the league announced on Sunday (Twitter link).

While all three players put up monster numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is generally considered the favorite to win the award due in large part to the Thunder’s team success this season. Oklahoma City won a league-high 68 regular season games, compared to 50 for Jokic’s Nuggets and 48 for Antetokounmpo’s Bucks.

The finalists for each award represent the top three vote-getters. The winners will be announced at a later date.

Here’s a rundown of the finalists for the major NBA awards voted on by media members:

Coach of the Year

  • Kenny Atkinson (Cavaliers)
  • J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons)
  • Ime Udoka (Rockets)

Rookie of the Year

Sixth Man of the Year

Defensive Player of the Year

Most Improved Player

Clutch Player of the Year

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Kenny Atkinson Wins Coaches Association Award

April 19th, 2025 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has won the Michael H. Goldberg award for the 2024/25 season, earning Coach of the Year from the National Basketball Coaches Association, according to a press release.

This award, introduced in 2017 and named after longtime NBCA executive director Michael H. Goldberg, is voted on by the NBA’s 30 head coaches, none of whom can vote for himself.

It isn’t the NBA’s official Coach of the Year award, which is voted on by media members and is represented by the Red Auerbach Trophy. The winner of that award will be announced later this spring.

J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Ime Udoka (Rockets), and – interestingly – Michael Malone (Nuggets) also received votes from their fellow coaches for this year’s NBCA award. Malone was let go by Denver earlier this month.

Atkinson was hired by the Cavaliers last June and was tasked with turning the team into a legitimate title contender following a 48-win season and a second-round playoff exit. Despite the fact that Cleveland’s roster didn’t undergo any major changes last summer, the team had one of the best years in franchise history, racking up 64 wins and holding the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference for nearly the entire season.

After the Cavs placed 16th in the NBA with a 114.7 offensive rating in 2023/24, Atkinson helped turn the unit into the league’s top-ranked offense in ’24/25 — Cleveland’s 121.0 offensive rating led the league by a comfortable margin. The club also ranked eighth in defensive rating (111.8) and third in overall net rating (+9.2).

The NBCA Coach of the Year award has frequently been a bellwether for the NBA’s Coach of the Year honor, which bodes well for Atkinson. In six of the eight years since the award’s inception, the winner has gone on to be named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, including in 2024 when Daigneault won both awards.

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Pacific Notes: Curry, Udoka, Kings Pick, LaRavia, Beal

April 7th, 2025 at 8:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Stephen Curry was hot on the court in recent games but he was only hot at the officials and the opposing coach on Sunday. After scoring 125 points combined in wins over the Grizzlies, Lakers and Nuggets, the Warriors superstar had more turnovers (four) than points (three) in the Rockets’ 106-96 win, Anthony Slater of The Athletic notes.

While heading to the locker room at halftime, Curry seemed frustrated about the way he was being defended. He crossed paths with Houston coach Ime Udoka, who said something to Curry that led to a terse exchange.

“When people start complaining about foul calls or crying about physicality, you’ve done your job,” Udoka said. “That’s the first step in winning the battle. So I told my team, when this team starts crying about it, up the intensity, up the aggressiveness, and make the refs adjust to you.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

  • The Kings owe the Hawks a first-rounder which is top-12 protected in this year’s draft. It’s still very much uncertain whether that pick will be conveyed, given Sacramento’s current status as a play-in team. James Ham of The Kings Beat takes an in-depth look at the scenarios where the Kings might retain the pick.
  • Kings forward Jake LaRavia is progressing through his rehab for what is now being called an incomplete scaphoid fracture of his left thumb, Ham tweets. LaRavia, who has been cleared for light on-court workouts, has been sidelined since March 25. He averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game last month.
  • What should the Suns do with Bradley Beal this offseason — trade the oft-injured wing, waive him and use the stretch provision to spread out the financial burden, or buy him out? Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com (subscription required) takes a deep dive into each of those possibilities.
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Rockets’ Udoka, Pacers’ Carlisle Named Coaches Of The Month

February 3rd, 2025 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle have been named the NBA’s Coaches of the Month for January for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the league announced today (Twitter link).

Udoka’s Rockets went 11-4 in January, registering a series of impressive victories that included road wins in Memphis, Denver, Cleveland, and Boston. The strong month improved Houston’s overall record to 32-16, which puts the team third in the Western Conference, two-and-a-half games ahead of No. 4 Denver.

It was the second time this season that Udoka has been named the West’s Coach of the Month — he also earned the honor for games played in October and November. This time around, he beat out fellow nominees Chauncey Billups (Trail Blazers), Doug Christie (Kings), Mark Daigneault (Thunder), and Tyronn Lue (Clippers), according to the NBA (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, after Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson claimed two straight Coach of the Month awards to open the season, Carlisle is the East’s first non-Atkinson winner in 2024/25.

Carlisle’s Pacers enjoyed a 10-2 run in January, posting a +10.4 net rating that ranked first in the conference. Their only two losses occurred in instances where they played the same team twice in a row — they dropped a Jan. 14 matchup with the Cavs after beating them two days earlier, then split their two-game series in Paris with the Spurs.

Atkinson, J.B. Bickerstaff (Pistons), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were the other coaches nominated in the East.

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Trail Blazers Notes: Sharpe, Ayton, Avdija, Henderson

January 20th, 2025 at 11:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe came off the bench Sunday night as coach Chauncey Billups removed him from the starting lineup due to frequent defensive lapses, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian. When Billups informed Sharpe of the decision before the game, he included a clear message about the need to improve on that end of the court.

“It was a good convo,” Sharpe said. “He basically just told me what I needed to do. And today, I think I took a big step in doing what he said. So, I just got to continue to do that, and we’ll be all right.”

Sharpe responded by playing 33 minutes in a win over Chicago, slightly more than he usually sees as a starter. He scored 23 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, and Billups was happy with the effort he displayed on defense.

“I was proud of him,” Billups told reporters. “I thought defensively, he was locked in. which is where he needs to be. … I think with him when he’s locked in defensively, it helps his offense. It makes him go.”

There’s more from Portland:

  • Deandre Ayton, who sat out Saturday’s game with low back soreness, and Deni Avdija, who missed three games with an ankle issue, both returned to the court on Sunday night, Fentress adds in a separate story. The extra size helped the Blazers post a 50-36 advantage in rebounding, which led to 17 fast break points. “When we can get out and get our guys going and play fast and move the basketball, we’re pretty tough to play against,” Billups said.
  • Scoot Henderson continued his recent stellar play with 25 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in 38 minutes. The past four games have marked one of the best career stretches for Henderson, who was selected with the third pick in the 2023 draft. “It’s starting to become so consistent with Scoot,” Billups said (Twitter link from Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report). “I thought he did a good job of picking his spots but continuing to be on attack the whole game. Because we need it. He’s at his best that way. He’s playing really well. I’m proud of Scoot.” Anfernee Simons sat out Sunday’s game with a right elbow strain, so Sharpe may remain in a bench role when he returns if Henderson keeps playing well.
  • The Rockets, who won at Portland on Saturday night, could provide a good blueprint for the Blazers, Highkin states in a full story. They were recently in a similar position, but were able to make a quick turnaround due to the development of their young players and an aggressive approach to free agency. “It’s the stage Houston was in before I got there, where they were trying to figure out who is who with a stockpile of lottery picks,” coach Ime Udoka said. “They’re in that same mode right now, with some of those young guys.”
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Stein’s Latest: Nets, Butler, Giannis, Suns, Nembhard, Coaches

January 12th, 2025 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets are the only NBA team projected to have maximum-salary cap room during the 2025 offseason, but they have no plans to pursue Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who could be the biggest free agent on the market next summer, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack article.

According to Stein, despite their impressive cap flexibility and stash of future draft assets, the Nets aren’t necessarily locked in on the idea of pursuing a star via trade or in free agency over the summer — if no favorable opportunities to land a star arise, they may simply be patient and continue building through the draft.

On the other hand, if Giannis Antetokounmpo were to become available, that would substantially alter the Nets’ plans, according to Stein, who says rumblings around the NBA suggest the Bucks forward would be Brooklyn’s “dream target” and that the Nets would make a push for him if Milwaukee were willing to trade him. That’s probably a long shot this year though, since have been no indications the Bucks would ever consider moving Antetokounmpo unless he specifically asked for it.

Here’s more from Stein:

  • Stein is the latest reporter to confirm that there’s strong mutual interest between the Suns and Butler. “I’ve heard they want him bad,” one league source told Stein. Still, until Phoenix can find a taker for Bradley Beal and get Beal to sign off on that destination, the Suns don’t have a path to acquiring the Heat forward.
  • Andrew Nembhard would be an ideal target for a team facing apron restrictions due to his $2.02MM cap hit, his long-term team control, and his lack of poison pill restrictions following his extension. However, Stein says the Pacers guard is considered one of the most valuable assets on Indiana’s roster and is viewed as essentially “off-limits” in trade talks.
  • Taking an early look at the Coach of the Year race, Stein describes Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers as the clear favorite and says he’d fill out his hypothetical ballot with Jamahl Mosley of the Magic at No. 2 and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons at No. 3. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka earns an honorable mention.
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Celtics Notes: Porzingis, Kornet, Tatum, Udoka, Brown

January 4th, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis overcame early foul trouble in his return to the court Friday night at Houston, writes Souichi Terada of MassLive. Porzingis, who missed the previous four games with a sprained left ankle, was able to play 28 minutes, posting 11 points, five rebounds and two assists.

“I felt all right,” he said afterward. “Still haven’t been in my best shape this season yet, so it’s a little bit tough. But I’m happy to be healthy and working my way toward feeling better and better each game.”

The Celtics have been careful with Porzingis, who sat out the first month of the season while recovering from foot surgery. He has appeared in just 12 of the team’s 35 games so far and has talked about the frustration of trying to establish a rhythm with such an erratic playing pattern. Coach Joe Mazzulla and the training staff are focused on keeping him healthy for the start of the playoffs in April.

“It’s tough for him because he’s going through a transition of coming in,” Mazzulla said. “But I thought his defense in the second half was tremendous. I thought we went to a couple things that kind of got him going a little bit on some pin-downs and got him comfortable. I thought for his first game back, I thought he was great. He really helped us, especially defensively, in the second half.”

There’s more on the Celtics:

  • After Rockets center Alperen Sengun scored 14 points in the first half, Mazzulla switched to a double-big lineup to shut him down, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. Luke Kornet started the third quarter alongside Porzingis, with Neemias Queta rotating in 0ff the bench. All that size clearly bothered Sengun, who went scoreless in the second half while missing all four of his shots from the field. “Kind of make it hard to play in a crowd,” Kornet said. “And then I think that length, having that be the help person, can make kickouts a little more difficult. But I feel like especially in the second half our physicality was great and just trying to match that and make things difficult.”
  • The Celtics improved to 3-0 against their former head coach, Ime Udoka, who led them to the NBA Finals in 2022, notes Brian Robb of MassLive. Jayson Tatum talked about the experience of playing for Udoka and how it benefited the team. “I think Ime, he’s big on toughness and physicality and taking on the challenge and going at people,” Tatum said. “And that’s what we did that year, right? We had a tough start. But him as our head coach, he never wavered and we turned out season around. We was hungry. And got to the Finals and came up short. We loved to have him around. He’s an amazing person, amazing coach.”
  • Jaylen Brown, who missed the past two games with a shoulder strain, is the only Celtic listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game at Oklahoma City, Robb adds in a separate story. Brown is expected to be a game-time decision, with Sam Hauser continuing to replace him in the starting lineup if he’s unavailable.
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NBA Suspends Amen Thompson Two Games, Terry Rozier One Game

December 31st, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets swingman Amen Thompson has been suspended for two games, while Heat guard Terry Rozier has received a one-game suspension, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Thompson and Rozier are being suspended for the roles they played in the on-court altercation that occurred during the final minute of the Heat/Rockets game in Houston on Sunday. In addition to the suspensions, the league announced that Rockets guard Jalen Green has been fined $35K and Heat guard Tyler Herro has been fined $25K for their involvement in the fracas.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has received a $50K fine for verbal abuse of a referee and not leaving the court in a timely manner after being ejected.

Additionally, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $35K for making “reckless” contact with official Marc Davis. That incident occurred moments before the altercation that led to the other penalties.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in Sunday’s game, Herro and Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link). Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Rozier tackling Thompson as Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Udoka and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Sullivan is the only one of those ejected who wasn’t fined or suspended today.

Tensions were already running high leading up to the melee, as VanVleet was tossed from the game after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

The suspension will keep Thompson out of action for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas and Friday’s contest vs. Boston. It will also cost him $127,586, which is 2/145ths of his $9,249,960 full-season salary, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Rozier, who will have to sit out Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans, will forfeit $143,242, which is 1/174th of his $24,924,126 salary.

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Heat/Rockets Altercation Likely To Result In Suspensions, Fines

December 30th, 2024 at 7:03am CST by Luke Adams

An on-court altercation broke out during the final minute of Sunday’s Heat/Rockets game, resulting in several ejections that will likely to lead to suspensions and/or fines for the players involved.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in the game, Heat guard Tyler Herro and Rockets guard Amen Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link).

Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Heat guard Terry Rozier tackling Thompson as Rockets guard Jalen Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Crew chief Marc Davis explained the decision after the game to pool reporter Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“During the dead ball, Thompsons grabs the jersey and body slams Herro,” Davis said. “Herro responds and they are both ejected for fighting fouls. Green is ejected as his actions escalated the altercation. Rozier as well is ejected as his actions were escalators to the altercation. Coach Sullivan is assessed a technical foul and ejected for his unsportsmanlike comments directed at me as I was attempting to redirect (Alperen) Sengun.”

Tensions were already running high leading up to the play, as Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was tossed from the game moments earlier after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

Naji Marshall (four games), Jusuf Nurkic (three games), and P.J. Washington (one game) received suspensions on Saturday for their roles in an incident involving the Mavericks and Suns in Friday’s game, so it would be a surprise if similar penalties aren’t handed out in response to this latest skirmish.

Thompson seems likely to face the most significant punishment from the league, with Rozier and Green at risk of possible suspensions as well. It’s unclear how the NBA will view Herro’s role, given that he didn’t reenter the fray after initially being thrown to the floor.

Although it took the NBA less than 24 hours to make its ruling after the Mavs/Suns altercation, that was at least partly because both teams were in the middle of back-to-back sets and the league wanted to announce suspensions prior to Saturday’s games. Neither the Heat nor the Rockets play until Wednesday, so the NBA may take a little more time to review this case.

Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after Sunday’s game, but Herro suggested with a smile during his post-game media session that his own big night (27 points, nine assists, six rebounds) led to Thompson’s frustration.

“Guess that’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said (Twitter video link). “I’d get mad, too.”

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