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HOUSTON –&nbsp;Today, the NBA announced that Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for March.&nbsp; He is the seventh different coach to have won the award in franchise history and the first since Mike D’Antoni in February of 2020.&nbsp; During his stint as head coach of Boston in 2021-22, Udoka was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month&nbsp;in February and for the combined months of March and April.&nbsp; He has a career coaching record of 24-5 in March.

The Rockets went 13-2 in March despite being without leading scorer and rebounder Alperen Sengun for the final 10 games and playing without their top bench scorer Cam Whitmore for nine games.

Houston won 11 straight games from March 8-29, tying for its longest streak since a 17-game span during 2017-18.&nbsp; The Rockets have also won their past seven road games after only having five road wins prior this season.

The Rockets outscored opponents by an average of 9.3 points per game in March.&nbsp; Houston won six consecutive games by double-digits from March 14-25, tying for the third-longest streak in franchise history.&nbsp; The Rockets scored at least 125 points in three straight games from March 19-23, marking their longest streak since a three-game span in November of 1979.

Houston is 38-36 this season after going 22-60 in 2022-23.&nbsp; That is the fifth-best improvement in win totals from one season to the next in franchise history.&nbsp; The Rockets are outscoring opponents by an average of 1.6 points per game this season after being outscored by a league-high 8.1 ppg over the past three seasons combined.

This season, the Rockets rank 10th in scoring defense, sixth in field goal defense and second in 3-point defense.&nbsp; Over the past three seasons combined, Houston ranked last in scoring defense, 28th in field goal defense and 26th in 3-point defense.&nbsp; The Rockets are on pace to set the franchise record for averaging the fewest turnovers in a single season after committing the most turnovers in the league over the past three seasons.&nbsp; Houston is also allowing the fewest fast break points this season after giving up the most over the past three seasons.

Houston currently trails Golden State by 2.0 games for the Western Conference’s final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.&nbsp; The Rockets host the Warriors at Toyota Center on April 4.

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Rockets Ime Udoka Named Western Conference Coach of the Month

HOUSTON –&nbsp;Today, the NBA announced that Rockets guard Jalen Green was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, March 11 through Sunday, March 17 (Week 21).&nbsp; Rockets center Alperen Sengun won the award in Week 11.&nbsp; Prior to that, the last Rocket to be named Player of the Week was James Harden in November of 2019.

The Rockets went 3-0 last week and outscored opponents by an average of 10.7 points despite playing without Sengun who was injured at Sacramento on March 10.&nbsp; Green averaged team-highs of 26.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for the week while shooting 49.2% from the floor and 45.8% from 3-point range.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Green recorded his fifth double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds vs. Cleveland on Saturday after scoring a season-high 37 points vs. Washington on Thursday.&nbsp; He also tallied 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists at San Antonio on Tuesday.&nbsp;[Video Highlights for Week]

Houston is 7-1 over its past eight games, including five straight wins, after going 1-5 the six games prior.&nbsp; Green recorded an average plus/minus rating of +10.6 over the past eight games while averaging 24.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 3.5 apg.

Over the past 26 games, Green is averaging 21.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.7 apg after averaging 17.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 3.1 apg the first 41 games of the season.&nbsp; He is averaging 20.5 ppg in the Rockets wins this season compared to 17.1 ppg in losses.

Green, who turned 22 years old on Feb. 9, is the only Rocket to have appeared in all 67 games this season.&nbsp; He is the only player within the first three seasons of a career who is averaging at least 18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.0 3-pointers made in 2023-24.

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Rockets Jalen Green Named Western Conference Player of the Week

HOUSTON –&nbsp;Today, the Houston Rockets announced that forward Tari Eason underwent successful surgery to treat a benign growth in his lower leg.&nbsp; The surgery, which was performed by Dr. Ned Amendola at Duke University, involved excising and bone grafting the lesion along with inserting an intramedullary rod in his tibia to help accelerate healing.

The issue became symptomatic for Eason after sustaining a blow to his leg during a preseason game vs. Indiana on Oct. 10, 2023.&nbsp; It was not at risk of causing a fracture to his tibia and presented a possibility of healing with non-surgical treatment which would have allowed Eason to return to play this season.

Following a slow healing process, the decision was made to move forward with the surgery in order for Eason to be ready for the start of next season.&nbsp; He is expected to make a full recovery in approximately four months.&nbsp;

Eason finishes the season averaging 9.8 points, 7.0 rebound and 1.41 steals in 21.8 minutes per game.&nbsp; No other player in NBA history has averaged at least 9.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 1.40 spg in a season while playing fewer than 25.0 mpg.&nbsp; Eason appeared in all 82 games as a rookie in 2022-23.

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Rockets Medical Update

Houston, TX — The LA Clippers at Houston game on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 will now be televised on Space City Home Network and ESPN, with game time changed to 6:30 PM local. 

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Tip-off & Broadcast change Information for Clippers at Rockets on March 6, 2024

HOUSTON –&nbsp;The Houston Rockets today announced they have acquired center Steven Adams from Memphis in exchange for guard Victor Oladipo and three future second round draft picks.

Adams (6-11, 265) was originally the 12th overall pick by Oklahoma City in the 2013 NBA Draft and is in his 11th season.&nbsp; In 706 career games with 641 starts, he is averaging 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.96 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game while shooting 59.7% from the floor.&nbsp; Adams has also appeared in 66 career playoff games.

Last season for Memphis, Adams averaged 8.6 ppg, a career-high 11.5 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.10 bpg in 27.0 mpg.&nbsp; He became the second player in NBA history (Andre Drummond in 2020-21) to have averaged at least 8.0 ppg, 11.0 rpg and 2.0 apg while playing fewer than 28.0 mpg in a single season.

The New Zealand native led the NBA in offensive rebounding in each of the past two seasons (5.1 per in 2022-23 and 4.6 in 2021-22) and is averaging a league-best 4.5 orpg going back to 2017-18.&nbsp; He has the third-most offensive boards (2,599) among active players and ranks ninth in NBA history in offensive rebounds per 36 minutes played (4.9 per) among players with at least 350 games played.

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Rockets Complete Trade with Memphis

HOUSTON –&nbsp;Today, the NBA announced that Rockets second-year forward Jabari Smith Jr. has been named to the Panini Rising Stars event.&nbsp; It will take place on Friday, Feb. 16 as part of NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis.&nbsp; Smith represented the Rockets as a rookie in last year’s Rising Stars event.

Smith has started all 41 of his games played this season while averaging 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds.&nbsp; He joins Jalen Duren and Victor Wembanyama as the only first or second year players averaging at least 13.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg this season.&nbsp;[Smith Season Video Highlights]

Among sophomores this season, Smith ranks eighth in scoring, third in rebounding and third in total 3-pointers made.&nbsp; He is shooting 47.8% from the floor and 38.3% from 3-point range this season after shooting 40.8% as a rookie in 2022-23, including 30.7% from behind-the-arc.

Smith is the first player in NBA history to have reached his totals of points, rebounds, blocks and 3-pointers made through the first 120 games played of a career.&nbsp; He will be 20 years old for the duration of the season.

Panini Rising Stars will feature four seven-player teams competing in a mini-tournament consisting of three games.&nbsp; The player pool consists of 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven NBA G League players. The 21 NBA players, selected by NBA assistant coaches, will be drafted onto three seven-player teams. The seven NBA G League players, selected by the league office, will comprise the fourth team.

All three games in Panini Rising Stars will be played to a Final Target Score, meaning each game will end with a made basket or a made free throw instead of with the clock running out. The semifinal games will be played to a Final Target Score of 40. The championship game will be played to a Final Target Score of 25.

The Panini Rising Stars Draft will stream live on the NBA App on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. CT.&nbsp; For further information, please visit&nbsp;NBA.com.

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Rockets Jabari Smith Jr. to Compete in Panini Rising Stars Event During NBA All-Star Weekend

HOUSTON –&nbsp;Today, the NBA announced that Rockets center Alperen Sengun was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Jan. 1 through Sunday, Jan. 7 (Week 11).&nbsp; He is the first Rocket to have won the award since James Harden in November of 2019 and is the youngest to have done so in franchise history at 21 years old.

The Rockets went 3-1 last week, with Sengun averaging a team-high 24.0 points along with 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.50 steals.&nbsp; He had 26 points and 9 assists in a win vs. Detroit on Jan. 1, 30 points and 8 rebounds in a win vs. Brooklyn on Jan. 3 and closed out the week by recording his 11th double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 boards in a win vs. Milwaukee on Jan. 6.&nbsp; Sengun had 19 points vs. Minnesota on Jan. 5, snapping a career-best seven-game streak of scoring 20 or more.&nbsp; He did not have a streak longer than two games over his first two seasons.

This season, Sengun is averaging 21.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 5.1 apg and 1.09 spg while shooting 53.7% from the floor.&nbsp; He joins Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokić as the only players averaging at least 21.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 5.0 apg this season.&nbsp; Entering 2023-24, only four different players averaged at least 21.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg and 5.0 while shooting 53.0% or better in a single season (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar twice, Antetokounmpo five times, Wilt Chamberlain three times and Jokić three times).&nbsp;[Sengun Season Video Highlights]

Dating back to 1975-76, Sengun is the ninth different player (21st time over that span) to have recorded his totals of points (729), rebounds (305) and assists (172) through a team’s first 34 games of a season.&nbsp; He is also the first player since Chris Webber in the mid-1990’s to have reached his totals of points (2,530), rebounds (1,376), assists (648), steals (166) and blocks (163) through the first 181 games played of a career.

Sengun has scored 30+ points in three of the past eight games after doing so three times the first 173 games of his career.&nbsp; He has scored 20+ points 21 times this season after doing so a total of 17 times in his first two seasons.&nbsp; Sengun has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.05 this season, up from 1.51 in 2022-23 and according to&nbsp;NBA.com, he has a defensive field goal percentage of .471 this season, down from .504 in 2023-24.&nbsp; Over the past 14 games Sengun is shooting 83.0% from the foul line, up from 63.7% the first 20 games of the season.&nbsp; He has hit 21 3-pointers in the 34 games this season after having 19 in 75 games played in 2022-23

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Rockets Alperen Sengun Named Western Conference Player of the Week

HOUSTON –&nbsp;The Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons are collaborating to host dual “Twin Night” themes for their games against each other on Jan. 1 at Toyota Center and on Jan. 12 at Little Caesars Arena.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The collaboration, which is the first of its kind in the NBA, is in celebration of twin brothers&nbsp;Amen and Ausar Thompson, who became the first siblings to be selected top-10 in the same NBA Draft.&nbsp; Amen was the fourth overall pick by Houston in the 2023 NBA Draft, while Ausar was the following selection by Detroit.

Twin Night for both teams will feature giveaways of&nbsp;interlocking bobbleheads of Amen and Ausar Thompson, with each game’s set outfitted in the uniforms the players will wear on that respective night.

The Rockets will distribute 5,000 bobbleheads, courtesy of Whataburger, for their home game against the Pistons on Jan. 1.&nbsp; A ticket package guaranteeing the bobbleheads along with access to a postgame Q&A with Amen and Ausar is available&nbsp;here.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The first 100 ticketed fans who arrive dressed alike for the Rockets game on Jan. 1 will be invited to a special happy hour which will include drink and food specials.&nbsp; The Rockets Twin Night will also feature twin First Shot contestants, twin DJs and a special performance by the Clutch City Dancers.

Prior to joining the NBA, Amen and Ausar Thompson starred at Overtime Elite, an Atlanta-based league which offers players ages 16 through 20 a pathway to becoming professional athletes.

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Rockets and Pistons Collaborate for NBA’s First Dual Theme Night Featuring Bobblehead Giveaways of Twins Amen and Ausar Thompson

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