2015–16_Houston_Rockets_season
2015–16 Houston Rockets season
NBA professional basketball team season
The 2015–16 Houston Rockets season was the 49th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and their 45th in the Houston area.[1]
Quick Facts Houston Rockets season, Head coach ...
| 2015–16 Houston Rockets season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Kevin McHale (fired) J. B. Bickerstaff (interim) | ||
| General manager | Daryl Morey | ||
| Owners | Leslie Alexander | ||
| Arena | Toyota Center | ||
| Results | |||
| Record | 41–41 (.500) | ||
| Place | Division: 4th (Southwest) Conference: 8th (Western) | ||
| Playoff finish | First Round (lost to Warriors 1–4) | ||
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||
| Local media | |||
| Television | Root Sports Southwest | ||
| Radio | Sportstalk 790 | ||
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On November 18, 2015, coach Kevin McHale was fired in his fifth season as the Rockets coach after a 4–7 start to the season. J. B. Bickerstaff was named the interim coach.
The Rockets finished the regular season with a 41–41 record, finishing 8th in the Western Conference. The Rockets' season ended with a 1–4 loss in the First Round to the Golden State Warriors. Following the season, Dwight Howard left to sign with his hometown Atlanta Hawks.
Main article: 2015 NBA draft
More information Round, Pick ...
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Sam Dekker | SF |  United States |
Wisconsin |
| 2 | 32 | Montrezl Harrell | PF | United States |
Louisville |
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More information Western Conference, # ...
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | z – Golden State Warriors * | 73 | 9 | .890 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – San Antonio Spurs * | 67 | 15 | .817 | 6.0 | 82 |
| 3 | y – Oklahoma City Thunder * | 55 | 27 | .671 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 4 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 44 | 38 | .537 | 29.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Dallas Mavericks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – Memphis Grizzlies | 42 | 40 | .512 | 31.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 32.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Utah Jazz | 40 | 42 | .488 | 33.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 33 | 49 | .402 | 40.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Denver Nuggets | 33 | 49 | .402 | 40.0 | 82 |
| 12 | New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 52 | .366 | 43.0 | 82 |
| 13 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 29 | 53 | .354 | 44.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Phoenix Suns | 23 | 59 | .280 | 50.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 56.0 | 82 |
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More information Southwest Division, W ...
| Southwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – San Antonio Spurs | 67 | 15 | .817 | – | 40–1 | 27–14 | 15–1 | 82 |
| x – Dallas Mavericks | 42 | 40 | .512 | 25.0 | 23–18 | 19–22 | 7–9 | 82 |
| x – Memphis Grizzlies | 42 | 40 | .512 | 25.0 | 26–15 | 16–25 | 7–9 | 82 |
| x – Houston Rockets | 41 | 41 | .500 | 26.0 | 23–18 | 18–23 | 8–8 | 82 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 30 | 52 | .366 | 37.0 | 21–20 | 9–32 | 4–12 | 82 |
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Preseason
More information 2015 pre-season game log Total: 3–5 (home: 2–2; road: 1–3), Game ...
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Regular season
More information 2015–16 game log Total: 41–41 (home: 23–18; road: 18–23), Game ...
| 2015–16 game log Total: 41–41 (home: 23–18; road: 18–23) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 0–2 (home: 0–2; road: 0–0)
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November
: 7–9 (home: 4–5; road: 3–4)
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December
: 9–7 (home: 6–2; road: 3–5)
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January
: 9–7 (home: 5–3; road: 4–4)
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February
: 4–6 (home: 1–2; road: 3–4)
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March
: 8–8 (home: 4–3; road: 4–5)
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April
: 4–2 (home: 3–1; road: 1–1)
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| 2015–16 season schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playoffs
More information 2016 playoff game log Total: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3), Game ...
| 2016 playoff game log Total: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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First Round: 1–4 (home: 1–1; road: 0–3)
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| 2015–16 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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More information Players, Coaches ...
| 2015–16 Houston Rockets roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Salaries
More information Player ...
| Player | 2015–16 Salary |
|---|---|
| Dwight Howard | $22,359,364 |
| James Harden | $15,756,438 |
| Corey Brewer | $8,200,000 |
| Trevor Ariza | $8,193,030 |
| Patrick Beverley | $6,500,000 |
| K. J. McDaniels | $3,333,333 |
| Terrence Jones | $2,489,530 |
| Donatas Motiejūnas | $2,288,205 |
| Sam Dekker | $1,646,400 |
| Jason Terry | $1,499,187 |
| Josh Smith | $1,499,000 |
| Clint Capela | $1,242,720 |
| Montrezl Harrell | $1,000,000 |
| Michael Beasleya | $306,527 |
| Andrew Goudelockb | $200,600 |
| Ty Lawsonc | $12,404,495 |
| Marcus Thorntond | $1,186,000 |
| Chuck Hayese | $83,583 |
| TOTAL | $90,188,412 |
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^a Michael Beasley was signed on March 4, 2016 for the perforated league minimum.
^b Andrew Goudelock was signed on March 9, 2016 for the perforated league minimum.
^c Ty Lawson was waived on March 1, 2016 after appearing in 53 games for the Rockets.
^d Marcus Thornton was waived on February 26, 2016 after appearing in 47 games for the Rockets.
^e Chuck Hayes was waived on November 8, 2015 after appearing in just 2 games for the Rockets.
Source: [2]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
Regular season
More information Player, GP ...
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Ariza | 81 | 81 | 35.3 | .416 | .371 | .783 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 12.7 |
| Michael Beasley | 20 | 0 | 18.2 | .522 | .333 | .776 | 4.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 12.8 |
| Patrick Beverley | 71 | 63 | 28.7 | .434 | .400 | .682 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 9.9 |
| Corey Brewer | 82 | 12 | 20.4 | .384 | .272 | .750 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 7.2 |
| Clint Capela | 77 | 35 | 19.1 | .582 | .000 | .379 | 6.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 7.0 |
| Sam Dekker | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | – | – | – | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Andrew Goudelock | 8 | 0 | 6.3 | .450 | .111 | .750 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 2.8 |
| James Harden | 82 | 82 | 38.1 | .439 | .359 | .860 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 29.0 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 39 | 1 | 9.7 | .644 | .000 | .522 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3.6 |
| Chuck Hayes‡ | 2 | 0 | 12.0 | .500 | – | 1.000 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 |
| Dwight Howard | 71 | 71 | 32.1 | .620 | .000 | .489 | 11.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 13.7 |
| Terrence Jones | 50 | 11 | 20.9 | .452 | .316 | .664 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 8.7 |
| Ty Lawson‡ | 53 | 12 | 22.2 | .387 | .330 | .700 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 5.8 |
| K. J. McDaniels | 37 | 1 | 6.4 | .403 | .280 | .800 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 2.4 |
| Donatas Motiejūnas | 37 | 22 | 14.8 | .439 | .281 | .642 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| Josh Smith | 23 | 6 | 18.3 | .343 | .271 | .480 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 6.6 |
| Jason Terry | 72 | 7 | 17.5 | .402 | .356 | .818 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.9 |
| Marcus Thornton‡ | 47 | 6 | 18.8 | .400 | .338 | .879 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
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‡Waived during season
Playoffs
More information Player, GP ...
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Ariza | 5 | 5 | 36.2 | .255 | .143 | .750 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.2 | 6.6 |
| Michael Beasley | 5 | 0 | 16.0 | .478 | .333 | .857 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 10.4 |
| Patrick Beverley | 5 | 5 | 25.8 | .270 | .214 | 1.000 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 5.8 |
| Corey Brewer | 5 | 1 | 15.4 | .259 | .100 | .875 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 4.4 |
| Clint Capela | 5 | 0 | 8.6 | .333 | – | .400 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 |
| Andrew Goudelock | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | .500 | .000 | – | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| James Harden | 5 | 5 | 38.6 | .410 | .310 | .844 | 5.2 | 7.6 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 26.6 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 2 | 0 | 6.0 | .333 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Dwight Howard | 5 | 5 | 36.0 | .542 | .000 | .368 | 14.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 13.2 |
| K. J. McDaniels | 4 | 0 | 8.5 | .308 | .333 | – | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 2.3 |
| Donatas Motiejūnas | 5 | 4 | 19.6 | .432 | .444 | .471 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 8.8 |
| Josh Smith | 4 | 0 | 9.5 | .462 | .500 | .000 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 4.0 |
| Jason Terry | 5 | 0 | 24.8 | .342 | .316 | 1.000 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 7.0 |
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Source: [3]
More information Player, Duration ...
| Player | Duration | Injury type | Games missed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | |||
| Donatas Motiejūnas | Start of Season | December 5, 2015 | Back Surgery | 20 |
| Terrence Jones | October 30, 2015 | November 11, 2015 | Right Eye Laceration | 5 |
| Patrick Beverley | November 4, 2015 | November 11, 2015 | Concussion | 2 |
| Patrick Beverley | November 13, 2015 | November 25, 2015 | Sprained Ankle | 5 |
| Sam Dekker | November 16, 2015 | February 29, 2016 | Back Surgery | 49 |
| Trevor Ariza | December 8, 2015 | December 12, 2015 | Bruised Lower Back | 1 |
| Donatas Motiejūnas | January 1, 2016 | February 27, 2016 | Sore Back | 25 |
| Patrick Beverley | January 15, 2016 | January 24, 2016 | Sprained Ankle | 3 |
| Dwight Howard | January 20, 2016 | January 27, 2016 | Sprained Ankle | 3 |
| Terrence Jones | February 3, 2016 | February 23, 2016 | Concussion | 5 |
| Clint Capela | February 24, 2016 | March 2, 2016 | Sprained Right Foot | 3 |
| Terrence Jones | March 5, 2016 | March 16, 2016 | Illness | 6 |
| Sam Dekker | March 28, 2016 | Rest of Season | Back Injury | 8 |
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Trades
| July 20, 2015[5] | To Houston Rockets Ty Lawson Second round draft pick (2017) |
To Denver Nuggets Nick Johnson Joey Dorsey Kostas Papanikolaou Pablo Prigioni 2016 first round draft pick Cash considerations |
| January 22, 2016[6] | To Houston Rockets Josh Smith Rights to Serhiy Lishchuk Cash considerations |
To Los Angeles Clippers Rights to Maarty Leunen |
Free agents
Re-signed
More information Player, Signed ...
| Player | Signed | Contract | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Beverley | July 9, 2015 | 4 years, $23 million | [7] |
| Corey Brewer | July 14, 2015 | 3 years, $23.4 million | [8] |
| K. J. McDaniels | July 21, 2015 | 3 years, $10 million | [9] |
| Jason Terry | August 24, 2015 | 1 years, $1.5 million | [10] |
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Additions
More information Player, Signed ...
| Player | Signed | Contract | Former team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Thornton | July 25, 2015 | 1 year, $1.1 million | Phoenix Suns | [11] |
| Chuck Hayes | November 1, 2015 | 1 year, $1.5 million | Toronto Raptors | [12] |
| Michael Beasley | March 4, 2016 | 2 years, $1.7 million |  Shandong Golden Stars |
[13] |
| Andrew Goudelock | March 9, 2016 | 2 years, $1.2 million | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
[14] |
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Subtractions
More information Player, Reason left ...
| Player | Reason left | Date | New Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Smith | Free Agency | July 16, 2015 | Los Angeles Clippers | [15] |
| Chuck Hayes | Waived | November 8, 2015 | None | [16] |
| Kevin McHale | Fired | November 18, 2015 | None | [17] |
| Marcus Thornton | Waived | February 26, 2016 | Washington Wizards | [18] |
| Ty Lawson | Waived | March 1, 2016 | Indiana Pacers | [19] |
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Awards
More information Player, Award ...
| Player | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Week | November 9, 2015 | [20] |
| James Harden | Western Conference All-Star | January 28, 2016 | [21] |
| James Harden | Western Conference Player of the Month (April) | April 15, 2016 | [22] |
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Records
- On March 30, Dwight Howard set a franchise record for free throws missed in a game, with 15 in a road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- James Harden set an NBA single-season record for turnovers with 374. On April 7, he tied the previous record of 366, set by Artis Gilmore of the Chicago Bulls during the 1977–78 season (the first season that individual turnovers were recorded), and in his next game, on April 10, he broke the record.
Milestones
- On March 18, Howard passed 11,000 career rebounds in a 116–111 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
- "Houston Rockets Team Payroll". basketball-reference. October 27, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- "2015-16 Houston Rockets Roster and Stats". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
- "Injury Report". basketball-reference.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
- "Nuggets Acquire Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni, Cash Considerations and First Round Pick From Houston". nba.com/nuggets. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- "Rockets acquire Josh Smith in trade with Clippers". ESPN.com. January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- "Rockets Re-Sign Patrick Beverley". nba.com/rockets. July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
- "Rockets Re-Sign Corey Brewer". nba.com/rockets. July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- "Rockets Re-Sign K.J. McDaniels". nba.com/rockets. July 21, 2015. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- "Rockets Re-Sign Jason Terry". nba.com/rockets. August 24, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- "Rockets Sign Marcus Thornton". nba.com/rockets. July 25, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- "Rockets Sign Free Agent Chuck Hayes". nba.com/rockets. November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- "Rockets sign free agent forward Beasley". nba.com. March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- "Rockets Sign Free Agent Andrew Goudelock". nba.com/rockets. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
- "LA CLIPPERS SIGN JOSH SMITH". nba.com/clippers. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- "Chuck Hayes waived by Rockets". Houston Chronicle. November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- "Houston Rockets fire coach Kevin McHale". ESPN.com. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- "Sources: Rockets waive guard Marcus Thornton". Yahoo! Sports. February 26, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- "Sources: Rockets, Ty Lawson reach buyout agreement". Yahoo! Sports. March 1, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
- "Drummond, Harden named Players of the Week". nba.com. November 9, 2015. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- "West romps past East with record-setting 196-173 win". nba.com. February 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- "James, Harden named Kia Players of Month for April". nba.com. April 15, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.