HOUSTON ROCKETS

The Houston Rockets, who had the worst record in the NBA this season will select third in the upcoming draft.

The New Orleans Pelicans are the lone playoff team among the clubs who can get a boost from lotto luck when the NBA draft lottery is conducted Tuesday night in Chicago.

The Charlotte Hornets have begun their search for a head coach, asking permission to speak with several candidates, said a person familiar with the situation.

Jalen Green ended his rookie season on a strong note, and his efforts got recognized in a big way on Monday.

Houston Rockets fan Paulo Alves traveled across the world, with the help of a few online friends, to see his first Rockets game in person.

The Houston Rockets went 20-62 to finish with the NBA's worst record for the second straight season.

Trae Young had 28 points and 11 assists as the Atlanta Hawks wrapped up the regular season with a 130-114 win over the Houston Rockets — a victory that didn’t improve their postseason position.

Pascal Siakam had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Gary Trent Jr. made the winning layup with 4.8 seconds left and the Toronto Raptors beat the Houston Rockets 117-115 on Friday night.

Kyrie Irving scored 42 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Houston Rockets 118-105 on improve their position in the race for play-in seeding.

Anthony Edwards scored 33 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 as the Minnesota Timberwolves built a huge lead and held on for a 139-132 win over the Houston Rockets.

Harrison Barnes scored 25 points, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Houston Rockets 122-117.

Davion Mitchell, Damian Jones and Trey Lyles scored 24 points each, and the Sacramento Kings outlasted the Houston Rockets for a 121-118 win.

Dejounte Murray scored a career-high 33 points and the San Antonio Spurs held on for a 123-120 win over the Houston Rockets to inch closer to the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Alperen Sengun scored 27 points off the bench, Jalen Green had 25 points and the Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 115-98 to complete a back-to-back sweep.

Jalen Green had 23 points including five 3-pointers and the Houston Rockets built a big early lead before coasting to a 125-106 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jalen Brunson scored 28 points while Spencer Dinwiddie added 26 with Luka Doncic resting a sore right ankle and the Dallas Mavericks overwhelmed the Houston Rockets in the second half for a 110-91 victory.

Christian Wood set career highs with eight 3-pointers and 39 points as the Houston Rockets used a huge late run to rally for a 115-97 win over the Washington Wizards.

Desmond Bane had 24 points and the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of star Ja Morant with balanced scoring in a 122-98 victory over the NBA-worst Houston Rockets on Sunday.

Malcolm Brogdon scored 25 points and Goga Bitadze added 23, including two key baskets down the stretch, to help the Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets 121-118 on Friday night.

Devin Booker scored 36 points,ikal Bridges added 26 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 129-112 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory.

Jonas Valanciunas had 32 points and 10 rebounds, and the New Orleans Pelicans emphatically snapped a four-game skid with a 130-105 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Luka Doncic scored 30 points, Dwight Powell tied a career high with 26 and the Dallas Mavericks built a big lead and coasted to 113-100 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Rookie Jalen Green scored a career-high 32 points, including 10 in overtime, and the Houston Rockets outlasted the slumping Los Angeles Lakers for a 139-130 win Wednesday night.

Victor Oladipo scored 11 points in in his first game in nearly a year, Tyler Herro scored 21 of his 31 points in the second quarter and the Miami Heat beat the Houston Rockets 123-106.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 29 points, Christian Wood added 28 points and 13 rebounds and the Houston Rockets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 123-112 on Saturday night to end a 12-game losing streak.

DeMarcus Cousins, starting in place of ailing Nikola Jokic, scored a season-high 31 points and the Denver Nuggets bounced back from a loss to beat the struggling Houston Rockets 116-101 on Friday night.

Donovan Mitchell had 37 points and Mike Conley scored nine points in overtime to help the Utah Jazz outlast the Houston Rockets 132-127.

Ivica Zubac scored 22 points with 12 rebounds as the Los Angeles Clippers pulled away in the third quarter and cruised to a 113-100 win over the Houston Rockets.

Kobe Bryant set Chandler Parsons and the Rockets up at a nightclub in LA, then surprised Parsons by picking up the bar tab.

Reggie Jackson scored 26 points, including three key points down the stretch, to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 99-98 win over the Houston Rockets Sunday night.

Chuma Okeke scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Orlando Magic to a 119-111 win over the Houston Rockets in a game between the bottom teams in the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences.

33 NBA players will make more than $30 million in the 2021-22 NBA season, led by one player's $46 million.

Marcus Morris Sr. scored 27 points and Luke Kennard added 25 as the Los Angeles Clippers sped to a 17-point lead in the first half and cruised to a 142-111 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Devin Booker scored 24 points, Deandre Ayton added 23 and the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns extended their winning streak to seven games, rallying after Chris Paul was ejected to beat the Houston Rockets 124-121 on Wednesday night.

Houston’s own Simone Biles will soon be walking down the aisle.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points.

Gary Trent Jr. scored a season-high 42 points, and the Toronto Raptors pushed their season-high winning streak to eight games with a 139-120 victory over the Houston Rockets.

According to multiple reports, the Rockets are trading center Daniel Theis to the Boston Celtics for point guard Dennis Schroder, center Enes Freedom and forward Bruno Fernando.

Insiders! KPRC 2's Zach Lashway takes you through the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

Brandon Ingram scored 26 points and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Houston Rockets 110-97 on to extend their winning streak to four games.

Brandon Ingram scored 33 points and tied a career high with 12 assists as the New Orleans Pelicans used a big third quarter to take control of the game and get a 120-107 win over the Houston Rockets.

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Keldon Johnson had 28 points and the San Antonio Spurs punctuated Zach Collins’ return from a nearly two-year absence with a 131-106 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

The Portland Trail Blazers traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a second-round pick in 2025.

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Larry Bird once called coach Bill Fitch “by far the best I’ve seen.”

Christian Wood and rookie Jalen Green had 21 points each and the Houston Rockets snapped an 11-game home skid with a 115-104 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stephen Curry scored 21 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 122-108 win over the Houston Rockets Monday night.

Anfernee Simons scored 27 points, CJ McCollum had 26 and the Portland Trail Blazers handed Houston its franchise-record 10th straight home loss, beating the Rockets 125-110.

Dejounte Murray and Jakob Poeltl combined for 37 points in three quarters to help the San Antonio Spurs coast to a 134-104 victory over the Houston Rockets Tuesday night.

Stephen Curry hit a game-winning 20-foot jumper from the top of the key to beat the final buzzer, scoring 22 points and sending the Golden State Warriors past the Houston Rockets 105-103.

Rockets fans, here’s your chance to watch our Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center for free. The Rockets have given us tickets to FOUR upcoming games to give away to Insiders!

Basketball fans have a chance to score free tickets to Houston Rockets home games in late January and early February.

Garrison Mathews scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, to send the Houston Rockets to a 116-111 victory over the Utah Jazz.

HOUSE OF THE WEEK | The five-time NBA all-star purchased the seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom, 16,479-square-foot house in Kentsdale Estates in 2013.

EDINBURG – New faces filled the RGV Vipers practice facility Monday as the NBA G League affiliate of the NBA’s Houston Rockets returned to the Valley after 604 days away due to COVID-19 and began their quest for a league-best fourth G League championship. Not all of the players on the finalized training camp roster are new to the Vipers, but they are new to playing in the Rio Grande Valley. “The Vipers finalized their training camp roster earlier Monday with 13 players. He is in his fifth year overall as a Vipers coach, spending his first two years under head coach James Blair. I feel feel real comfortable being able to teach what we are about especially in Houston.

Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter waded into an especially sensitive subject for the NBA with his comments advocating for a free Tibet, as China is by far the league's largest foreign market.

Eighteen former NBA players have been arrested and charged with defrauding the NBA's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan out of $4 million, officials familiar with the matter said.

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While the draft is still a month away, there is no shortage of discussion on social media and message boards about who the Rockets might select and, more importantly for some, who they should select.

The team will also provide tickets for some of the first responders from Friday's massacre at Santa Fe High School.

After finishing 2021 with the worst record in the NBA, the Rockets will draft second in this year's draft behind the Detroit Pistons, netting them a bonafide young start to put alongside Christian Wood, Kevin Porter, Jr., K.J. Martin and Jae'Sean Tate.

The NBA draft is still two months away and the lottery to determine the order of draft picks is six weeks out, but as the season winds down this week for the league worst Houston Rockets, it is worth taking a peek at just what chances the Rockets have at reaching the top of the draft in 2021.

With about 4,000 fans in attendance, LeBron James helped the Los Angeles Lakers unveil their 2019-20 NBA championship banner at Staples Center.

Fanatics now has e-commerce deals with 13 National Basketball Association clubs.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points, and the NBA-worst Houston Rockets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 143-136 on Thursday night after Giannis Antetokounmpo left less than a minute into the game with an apparent ankle injury.

Hackers say they've seized computer records from the Washington, D.C., police and are demanding ransom. As ransomware groups keep getting more sophisticated, law enforcement is struggling to keep up.

Tad Brown's departing the Rockets leaves Houston with complete turnover in management roles in the last two years.

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According to reports, the Rockets were the victims of a ransomeware attack, but thanks to the good preventative measures and a keen eye for the telltale signs of hacking, they prevented a serious breach.

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Today, the Rockets are one of the worst teams in the NBA with a team made up of mostly young players, interspersed with a handful of veterans like John Wall and D.J. Augustin. And it has become clear that the team is focused on building for the future and taking the lumps that come with those growing pains.

Are these the fanciest tamales in the world? Neiman Marcus is now in the business of selling tamales—at least until June. Texas lawmakers introduce bill that will end natural gas ban The bill would stop cities from banning natural gas as a source for new construction &... This is the weirdest thing flying through our galaxy right now The intersteller object has been described as everything from an asteroid to an alien probe.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. Support UsThe Houston Rockets have become the first ever franchise to... In a lot of cities, replace "Houston Rockets" with any other team and that sentence is often followed by joyous, fist-pumping happiness. The Houston Rockets on Sunday became the first ever franchise to have both a 20-game winning streak and a 20-game losing streak in its history. Given that the trade deadline is the day prior to that two-game road trip, this could be a VERY different looking Rockets team facing the Timberwolves.

Support UsThere is no point in trying to gloss over 18 straight losses by the Houston Rockets. There are silver linings for this Rockets team too. Stephen Silas and Rafael StoneIt could be argued that the Rockets team of coach and GM resembles that of the Astros circa 2015. Draft picks can make valuable trade pieces and could jumpstart the rebuild process as quickly as a young star fresh out of college. Whatever the case, it should give fans hope that, despite the losing, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Rockets.

The cryptocurrency world is abuzz with talk of digital collectibles, unique virtual tokens that can represent anything from art to sports memorabilia. People have been paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for these NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Even Mark Cuban and other celebrities are cashing in on the NFT craze. It's reminded some investors of the initial coin offering, or ICO, bubble in 2017, when multiple start-ups issued new digital tokens to raise money. There are some parallels with the ICO frenzy — for example, celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Mark Cuban have recently sold NFTs.

Players, coaches and staff kneel during the national anthem before the game between the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 04, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. For the first time this season, the Dallas Mavericks will play the national anthem ahead of a home game. The Mavericks had not played the national anthem before any home games during the preseason or regular season at Cuban's direction, a team spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. "With NBA teams now in the process of welcoming fans back into their arenas, all teams will play the national anthem in keeping with longstanding league policy," Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass said in a statement Wednesday. Though league policy requires players to stand for the national anthem, according to NBC Sports, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hasn't strictly enforced the rule, allowing players to kneel during the anthem in the NBA bubble last season.

James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 05, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. If the Brooklyn Nets knew for sure they'd land James Harden, perhaps the club might've held off on a deal with Motorola and driven a harder bargain. And Harden is sure to give the Nets more brand appeal once he arrives on the New York City basketball scene, while the James Dolan-owned Knicks can only watch. The Nets also won in the deal as their brand increases with Harden's stardom and his massive audience he brings with to him. The Nets were already in a good position with Durant's return, paring with Irving, which helped land the Motorola patch deal.

At least four draft picks and additional pick swaps are also part of the deal, the person said. "We felt it was best for James and best for the group for him not to come to practice," first-year coach Stephen Silas said. The Rockets begin a three-game road trip on Thursday night with the first of two straight games against San Antonio. The Rockets are just 3-6 so far this season and only Minnesota has a worse record in the Western Conference. Subscribe to Today in Houston Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. In fact, I asked the question on my Twitter timeline "Which Houston team had the most '2020' 2020?" #Penderpoll that we will do a deep dive on in the 9am hour tomorrow on #PandP @SportsRadio610 ... which Houston team had the most “2020” 2020? For that, I point you to the HOUSTON 10, a Houston Chronicle invention that subjectively rates the ten most prominent/influential/buzzworthy Houston sports figures. Jeff Luhnow, Houston Astros general managerLuhnow got the 2020 treatment VERY early in the year, as he and manager A.J.

Wednesday's season opener between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder has been postponed after the Rockets revealed their team did not have enough eligible players due to COVID-19 restrictions. Three Rockets players either tested positive or received inconclusive test results, the NBA said in a statement. Rockets players John Wall and Demarcus Cousins were both sent home, ineligible to play in Wednesday's game, according to CBS Sports. While neither of the players tested positive for COVID-19, contact tracing put them in close contact with another positive player. To aid with the inevitable COVID-19 re-scheduling, the NBA has only scheduled 72 regular season games, instead of the usual 82.

^ Keep Houston Press Free Support Us LocalCommunityJournalismI Support Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free. The first game of the NBA season lost to COVID-19 just happened to be the first Rockets game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center. The NBA is not messing around with its protocols, so don't be surprised if Harden is suspended. It marks yet another chapter of the ongoing saga of the Houston Rockets as they fall ass backwards into the new season. Since the Rockets are not on the slate of NBA Christmas games, we will all have to wait until Saturday when the Rockets visit Portland to face the Trailblazers, assuming they can cobble together enough players for that game.

Late Monday night, the Rockets dealt Robert Covington for former Rocket Trevor Ariza and two first round draft picks, including the sixteenth pick in Wednesday's draft. Which brings about the question: Are the Rockets about to implode the entire team and start from scratch? Any deal to net one of the team's two superstars would have to include a package of players and draft picks. Already strapped for cash, with minimal young assets and no draft picks, it makes sense that the Rockets would at least consider imploding it all. So, if this is the end of this era of the Houston Rockets, perhaps burning the whole thing to the ground is the right approach.

General manager Daryl Morey leaving Rockets on Nov. 1 HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down on his own...Why I decided to find a therapist during the pandemic As a Black woman, I was taught at a young age to exhibit great strength, and because of this,...

Updated 7:06 p.m. CTHouston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down on his own accord. Tilman Fertitta, who has owned the Rockets since 2017, thanked Morey for everything he did in his years with the team. Morey tweeted an image that said: "Fight For Freedom. Houston went 640-400 with Morey as the general manager and won a franchise-record 65 regular-season games in the 2017-18 season. Morey worked as Houston’s assistant general manager for one season under Carroll Dawson before he retired after the 2007 season and Morey was promoted to his job.

According to reports, Daryl Morey's decade-long tenure with the Houston Rockets is coming to a close. Morey will step down as the team's general manager effective immediately and the team will promote Rafael Stone to the GM position. The Texans, just over a week ago, fired Bill O'Brien, who was both head coach and GM for the team. Immediately following the Rockets final loss of the postseason, coach Mike D'Antoni announced he would not be rejoining the team. He was responsible for trades that brought the team players like Tracy McGrady, James Harden, Chris Paul and, most recently, Russell Westbrook.

General manager Daryl Morey leaving Rockets on Nov. 1 HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is stepping down on his own...Why I decided to find a therapist during the pandemic As a Black woman, I was taught at a young age to exhibit great strength, and because of this,...

However, we were reminded earlier this week that Houston still has a relatively rich history of successful sports figures when Rudy Tomjanovich was finally named to the Basketball Hall of Fame. More specifically, let's go through and count how many future Hall of Famers we will be watching when sports someday return. JUSTIN VERLANDER, SP, Houston AstrosWhen I went through this exercise a couple years ago, I had Verlander above 90 percent probability of making the Hall of Fame. HOF PROBABILITY: 70 percentTHE RESTDESHAUN WATSON, QB, Houston TexansDeshaun will have plenty of stats and plenty of Pro Bowl appearances. HOF PROBABILITY: 10 percentCARLOS CORREA, SS, Houston AstrosWe forget that Correa is only heading into his age 25 season.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta told CNBC on Friday the idea of playing games without fans in attendance is "never gonna work," as fears of the coronavirus outbreak continues to plague markets worldwide. "I don't think you ever want to play games in front of no audiences," Fertitta said, adding he would instead prefer to suspend play for a week. "But you don't want to play games with no fans." Appearing on CNBC's "Power Lunch," Fertitta commented on the coronavirus, urging fans to remain calm and not panic. Hence, as of now, the annual NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will be played as scheduled.

At the same time, some will look to offload money, hoping to avoid a luxury tax bill. According to league sources who spoke to CNBC, Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is seeking to shed additional salary off the team's nearly $140 million payroll hoping to avoid a luxury tax. The way the tax system works is the NBA penalizes a team when its payroll rises above $132 million for the 2019-20 season. From there, the tax will increase 50 cents for each additional $5 million a team is over, according to the NBA-NBPA collective bargaining agreement. If a team pays the luxury tax in at least four out of five seasons, the fee is then increased by $1.00.

FILE PHOTO: Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant celebrates a shot by Steve Blake against the Houston Rockets during the second half of their NBA game in Los Angeles, California October 26, 2010. With the untimely and unexpected passing of the great Kobe Bryant please sign this petition in an attempt to immortalize him forever as the new NBA Logo, reads the petition, which was created by 16-year-old Bryant fan Nick Moghtader of Vancouver. The current NBA logo, which was introduced in 1969, features the silhouette of Lakers great and Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West dribbling a ball with his left hand. The NBA did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the petition, which had 1.9 million signatures as of 12:05 p.m. Bryant, who retired from professional basketball in 2016, played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers and won five NBA championships.

But like all teams, questions loom for the Rockets this season and even into next. As good at the team is, they could always use help, particularly in the frontcourt where they remain woefully undersized. The Rockets have gotten the best of the other LA franchise this season, but the Clippers still remain slightly ahead in the standings. The Rockets have as good a shot as anyone to remain in the top four and even move up. Teams with length (Lakers, for example) will give them trouble and they will have to improve defensively if they are going to challenge the best teams in the West.

Fans descend on Toyota Center as Rockets take on the NetsFans pose for a photo before an NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Brooklyn Nets at the Toyota Center on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Houston. Fans pose for a photo before an NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Brooklyn Nets at the Toyota Center on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, in Houston. Photo: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Fans descend on Toyota Center as Rockets take on the Nets 1 / 28 Back to GalleryIn this much-anticipated Rockets matchup against the Nets, H-town fans expect to get their moneys worth to see Russell Westbrook and James Harden in action. Houston fans are decked out courtside for Saturday night's game. On HoustonChronicle.com: Scouting Report--Rockets vs. NetsBefore the matchup, both the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets had suffered some recent embarrassing defeats.

End of a decade: Photos capture 10 years of Houston momentsApril 14, 2010: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (11) gets hit by a shirt thrown by Clutch the mascot as he passes out gifts to fans during the Red Nation Appreciation Night after the Houston Rockets vs the New Orleans Hornets NBA basketball game at the Toyota Center in Houston. The Rockets lost the game 115-123. less April 14, 2010: Houston Rockets center Yao Ming (11) gets hit by a shirt thrown by Clutch the mascot as he passes out gifts to fans during the Red Nation Appreciation Night after the Houston Rockets vs the New ... more Photo: Michael Paulsen, Houston Chronicle Photo: Michael Paulsen, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 59 Caption Close End of a decade: Photos capture 10 years of Houston moments 1 / 59 Back to GalleryOver the last 10 years Houstons had some wins, and Houstons had some losses. All of which were captured by Houston Chronicle photographers, who have spent the last decade helping capture Houstons moments youll remember. From victories on the field to tragedy in the streets, these are the memorable moments of Houstons last decade. Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area.

"When the play happened, Harden goes in for a dunk, and then the ball appears to us to pop back through the net," crew chief James Capers told a pool reporter. "I heard that they said the ball hit James and went back through, so it was a goaltend on James. "I think we lost (focus) before (Harden's dunk), but obviously that just added to the circumstances," D'Antoni said. "Harden finished with 50 points despite shooting just 11-of-38 from the field, including 4-of-20 from 3-point range. Officials overturned the foul after the Rockets challenged but instead called Houston center Clint Capela for an offensive foul.

The Houston Rockets debuted their new NASA-inspired uniforms on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. HOUSTON - The Houston Rockets took home a W against the Portland Trail Blazers, continuing their eight-game winning streak. The NASA-inspired "city edition" uniforms pay tribute to the historical and present relationship between Houston and the space agency. The inspiration behind our new City Edition Uniforms. : https://t.co/jYBDvgdU1j pic.twitter.com/lgCqwL6JXl Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 19, 2019Copyright 2019 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

Tucker, the NBA's Sneaker King, is close to signing his next endorsement deal since his contract with Nike expired Oct. 1, he told CNBC in an interview. Tucker, 34, has been with Nike throughout his career and has been in negotiations with the company since his deal ended last month. The 34-year-old player is expected to command a multiyear, six-figure sneaker deal that would be the largest endorsement deal of his career. Part of the intrigue of signing Tucker is the North Carolina native's massive shoe collection, labeling Tucker the "Sneaker King." Off the court, Tucker favors the Air Max 1 line, owning multiple versions and colors of the Nike product.

MINNEAPOLIS - James Harden scored 49 points on a whopping 41 shots from the field and the undermanned Houston Rockets won their seventh straight gamer, 125-105 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. With Russell Westbrook resting, the Rockets needed Harden to shoulder an even bigger scoring load than usual. Harden made 16 of the 41 shots, going 8 for 22 from 3-point range. Jake Layman made his first start of the season for Minnesota and scored a season-high 21 points. Harden scored 18 of his 30 first-half points in the first quarter.